Ferrari flags Mercedes wing
Ferrari has formally questioned the legality of Mercedes’ front‑wing concept and taken the issue to F1’s governing body — the probe follows post‑race tech analysis after the Chinese GP. Mercedes still started the season strong: George Russell led a one‑two at the Australian Grand Prix, putting the team back in the spotlight as rivals press the FIA on aero legality. (sports.yahoo.com) (crash.net)
A clip from Shanghai shows the Mercedes front‑wing closing in two distinct phases — a short partial movement followed by a full closure — a sequence commentators have labelled a “two‑stage” action that teams argue could circumvent the active‑aero timing rules. (total-motorsport.com) FIA 2026 technical regulations set a maximum closing time for front and rear wing movements at 400 milliseconds, a hard parameter now central to the scrutiny of on‑car actuators and software. (api.fia.com) Post‑race telemetry and a social‑media clip from the Chinese GP prompted on‑site checks in Shanghai, with FIA technical delegates conducting inspections of George Russell’s Mercedes during the weekend. (total-motorsport.com) The episode follows other early‑season legality tussles: Ferrari removed its own halo mini‑wings at Shanghai after talks with the FIA, underscoring how teams are probing marginal interpretations of the new rule set. (the-race.com) Mercedes secured the Chinese GP win on March 15 with Kimi Antonelli at the wheel, leaving the team in championship contention as the FIA gathers lab tests, sensor logs and telemetry that will determine whether changes or penalties follow. (en.wikipedia.org) The FIA has already signalled tougher flexi‑wing and active‑aero checks this season and has previously cleared contested wing designs after laboratory verification, meaning the final decision will rest on controlled test results more than TV footage. (planetf1.com)
