30/07/2010
NEWS STORY
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A number of teams, most notably McLaren, continue to doubt the legality of the wing on the Red Bull, despite the fact that it has been approved by the FIA.
While some, most notably Ferrari, seek to come up with their own version, others are unhappy with the wing which clearly flexes at high speed and under braking. Nowhere was this more apparent than in on-board footage during today's free practice sessions when it was clear that a section of the wing dipped at high speed then appeared to rise again under braking.
Flexing wings are banned, however, Red Bull's new wing had been rigorously tested by the FIA and been given the green light.
Alternative footage shown during the practice sessions compared the height of the front wing at high speed, while the McLaren appeared normal, the Red Bull version was almost scraping the track with Ferrari's version half-way between.
The fact that the two teams dominated the second session suggests that there is a clear advantage, much to their rivals' frustration.
"At the moment if you look at the front wing endplates they have to be 85mm above the bottom of the plank," Whitmarsh told the BBC when asked if McLaren is working on its own version. "It's difficult for us to imagine how with any form of linear deflection you can be in any danger of those hitting the ground.
"Obviously there are cars with endplates that have skids," he continued, "Which would suggest they are making contact with the ground. We are trying to clarify that with the FIA because it seems unusual to us.
"If, ultimately, devices and systems are allowed on parts which in theory are meant to be rigid which allow devices to touch the ground, I guess we'll have to do it," he added.
At Red Bull, Horner is adamant; "The new front wing is behaving in the way the guys have been clever enough to design it and it meets all the regulations," he said, "but there is no silver bullet. A lot of the other teams are running similar concepts."
Stefano Domenicali has no qualms, the FIA has approved therefore it's legal. "We need to rely on the governing body that is doing all the checks that they want," he told reporters that the official press conference. "They did, at least I can say on our car, so it is a matter of respecting the regulations and really that's it.
"There are certain tests that you have to do with the front wing as you can do with other parts of the car and you have to respect the loads and the tests that are connected to that part specifically and if you pass that, then that's done," he added.
Asked about the obvious movement in the wing - as highlighted by the TV shots - Horner said: "There are compliance tests which are pretty stringent that all components have to meet.
"It is interesting where the emphasis moves," he continued. "So far this year we have had active ride height, we have had suspension, we have had diffusers looked at. We have had front wings. As always there is never a silver bullet. The performance of any car comes down to how design philosophy and a combination of components work as opposed to any one particular component. There are stringent tests. I am happy that our car complies with all the regulations and take it as a compliment to our engineers when a fuss like this is sometimes made by rival teams."
Asked if his team had them, Hispania team boss Colin Kolles simply said "I wish", while Renault's Eric Boullier hinted that his team may now look at the device. "The FIA has already cleared the answer by let's say by giving the go-ahead of the legality about the suspicious... about any flexible wings," he said. "I think we have to work in a different way to understand what the front row here is doing to clear ourselves as a technical point on this."