Frederic Vasseur views McLaren’s rear wing issue with suspicion and sees no leeway – But Ferrari lacked evidence for a protest Ferrari lacked evidence
Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur has intervened in McLaren’s rear wing debate, emphasizing that there are actually no gray areas in this matter. Although the world champion’s wing is said to be legal, McLaren has nevertheless been asked by the FIA to adjust its low-downforce wing.
But while there is some leeway around the front wings , because the rules only state that the wing must not be built with the intention of bending it and, according to Vasseur, intention is difficult to measure, the case of the rear wing is clear to him.
“With the rear wing, it’s something completely different because the article states that you are allowed to have a maximum bend. And that’s black or white. It’s not gray, not dark gray and not light gray,” he clarifies.
On recordings, it can be seen how the upper rear wing element bends and a kind of mini-DRS is created.
Can McLaren be proven guilty of something?
However, it does not seem to be easy for the teams to accuse McLaren of a specific misconduct: “It’s not easy to have evidence,” Vasseur answers when asked why Ferrari did not file a protest when it is clear black or white.
Even the tech-savvy Williams team principal James Vowles has to admit: “I have seen various recordings, but I personally cannot assess what it does or does not do. We can only trust that the FIA is doing its checks in the correct way,“ he says.
”We have to hand over responsibility to the FIA Scrutineering,” says Vasseur. ‘That’s not my job and it’s not James’ or anyone else’s. They have to do it and we have to trust them.”
“I’m not complaining,” emphasizes Vasseur, but at the same time he says that the issue is ‘more than borderline’. ‘We’ve all seen the videos and pictures.’
Vasseur admits: ‘A little frustrated’
Above all, it helped McLaren at Monza when second to sixth places in qualifying were covered by less than a tenth, and it also helped in Baku when Charles Leclerc was side-by-side with Oscar Piastri for many laps on the approach to Turn 1 and came off second best. “You can imagine that we are a little frustrated,” said the team principal.
What is particularly frustrating from his point of view is that McLaren’s secret is the low-downforce wing, which will no longer play a role in the upcoming races. “I’m not sure if they could or would use the same trick in Singapore,” he says. On the crucial tracks, however, McLaren got away with it.
But hasn’t Ferrari perhaps already thought of it themselves and perhaps been a little too unaggressive? “We are pushing the envelope as far as we think we can legally,“ Vasseur clarifies. ‘I can’t ask the team to push it further.’
”But now we are reacting,” he emphasizes. ‘As soon as we have the clarification from the FIA, we will act on it, as long as it’s okay for them.’
