[Tech Issue] McLaren has 'spring' front wing

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by fourWheelDrift

Actually I don't think that's how the rules are written although it seems to be how some are trying to interpret them. Aerodynamic surfaces must not move relative to the sprung part of the car. The load test was introduced as a way to demonstrate that certain things don't comply and get them stopped. Just becuase something passes the load test does not mean it doesn't move relative to the rest of the bodywork, if it does it is still illegal.

I think in the case of Red Bull they said they were able to demonstrate that their wing didn't move under the loads that the wing would see on track - so the test was devised to prove whether what other teams thought was happening was - or was not.

In this case I think that it has to be demonstrated somehow that the wing does move - it's very difficult to think of anything other than a load test that would show there was, or wasn't, movement. If the FIA are able to say "we believe it does move and that is enough for us to declare it illegal - we don't need a test" then maybe they should do that and the test would no longer be required. But I think that might be open to a legal challenge.

It should be noted that under the existing test, the wings are allowed to deflect 20mm at the outer edges under 100kg load, and this the FIA consider to be 'rigid'. From the video, the movement on the McLaren wing seems to me to be only one or two millimetres at most - albeit at a different position on the wing.