Flexible wings – Ferrari already prepared in Bahrain for new directive: many signs of a possible advantage
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Formula 1 is set to return to the track next week in Melbourne, marking an important comeback for the Circus after years of Bahrain opening the season. With the Australian Grand Prix approaching, teams will have to comply with a new directive on flexible wings, which Ferrari already seems prepared for.
The fastest cars on Earth hit the track last week for the first tests of the year, aiming to assess the competitive landscape. However, with teams playing technical hide-and-seek and the weather providing little indication, they revealed very little about their actual potential. The only team that showed great form was, unsurprisingly, McLaren. As reigning constructors’ champion, it displayed impressive consistency over the three days. The MCL39, driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, completed numerous race simulation laps with remarkably steady lap times, down to the hundredth of a second.
This consistency and superiority triggered alarm bells at Red Bull, with Pierre Wache accusing McLaren and Ferrari of using systems similar to the Mini-DRS—a trick named by F1 fans after what happened with Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Baku Grand Prix.
According to Autoracer, the FIA has responded to Waché's complaints by implementing new tests on rear wing flexibility. This measure directly targets the SF-25 and MCL39, which appear to be the benchmark cars at the start of the 2025 season—despite Ferrari not fully meeting expectations.
Ferrari and those unique elements on the SF-25
Although this news surprised many in the paddock, the Italian website F1inGenerale has learned that Ferrari had already been working on the “Melbourne Directive” rear wing in Bahrain. This rear wing will be at the center of the new technical regulation debuting in Australia next week. Supporting this claim are photos from testing, where the SF-25 was the only top-team car featuring specific markers on the mainplane and rear flap.
These new markers consist of four or more alternating black-and-white squares, allowing for clearer monitoring of rear wing flex. They are in addition to the circular stickers introduced by teams since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix on both wings. Ferrari's work during the three days of testing was already focused on Melbourne, running a lower-downforce setup compared to Bahrain. It almost seems as if the Maranello team was already aware of this new rear-wing directive, introducing additional reference points for flex control.
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