Ferrari boss gives ‘more than borderline’ verdict as McLaren ‘mini DRS’ changes confirmed

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur called the low-downforce rear wing on the McLaren MCL38 “more than borderline”, after examining its use in Baku.

McLaren confirmed the team has spoken to the FIA and “proactively offered” to make minor adjustments to their rear wing, after footage and images emerged of it seemingly moving on the long pit straight in Azerbaijan – though it remains a legal part and has passed all FIA deflection tests and scrutineering up to now.

Ferrari express ‘frustration’ as McLaren rear wing ‘more than borderline’

Vasseur made it clear that he was “not complaining” about the McLaren rear wing, given they complied with all the tests as were in place by the FIA, though he believes their car was “more than borderline” in how its rear wing showed itself, elaborating in how the ‘flexi-wing’ debate is different between the front and back of the car.

Nonetheless, with McLaren’s changes now announced, the rear wing as it appeared in Azerbaijan will no longer be the case.

“I think there is a kind of confusion between what’s happened with the front wing and the rear wing,” Vasseur explained in Singapore.

“The front wing, we all agree that it could be a grey area, because in the TD [technical directive, ed.], the first paragraph of the TD is saying that you can’t design part of the car with the intention of deformation – intention is difficult to manage.

“The rear wing story, it’s completely different because on the article, you have also a maximum deflection. And this is black or white. It’s not grey, not dark grey, not light grey, It’s black and black. And for me, it’s clear.

“We had a look on the previous event, and it was only on the low downforce track. I’m not sure that they could, or they want to, use the same trick in Singapore, or in Zandvoort, for example.

More on McLaren’s so-called ‘mini DRS’ rear wing

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“But again, we have to give the responsibility of the scrutineering to the FIA, it’s not my job to do it. They have to do it, and we have to trust them honestly.

“I’m not complaining about this, I think it’s more than borderline. We all saw the video and the picture of this, and it’s a bit frustrating when, if you remember perfectly the situation in Monza, we had five cars in two hundredths of seconds, and you move from P1, P2 to P5, P6 for two hundredths of seconds.

“In Baku, we arrive 10 laps in a row side by side [at] Turn 1. But you can imagine that we have a bit of frustration.”

Given that the option to protest against the rear wing was available, Vasseur confirmed that Ferrari could have lodged a protest to the FIA, but he affirmed that he wants his main focus to be on the rest of the season.

“Could have been possible, but it’s not so easy to have evidence,” he replied when asked about a potential protest.

“Now, honestly, I want to turn this page, because I want to be focused on the future. Baku and Monza are behind us, we have still seven races to go, we have to win this weekend, and it will be the best reply that we can give.”