‘Illegal’: F1 divided as ‘brilliant’ McLaren exploit exposed

F1 fans have effectively accused McLaren of cheating, after noticing a tiny piece of engineering “brilliance” on the rear wing of Oscar Piastri’s car.
And it could have significantly aided the Aussie’s battle to keep ahead of Charles Leclerc for the final 31 pressure-filled laps to claim victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
As the McLaren picked up speed, fans noticed the rear wing of Piastri’s car flexed as the aerodynamic load increased, which then created a bigger opening between the top two panels.
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McLaren has been accused of cheating after the rear wing of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren could be seen flexing during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. FOX Sports
It created what’s been dubbed a mini-DRS (Drag Reduction System), which would have given Piastri a slight increase in top speed at the end of the 2.2km flat out drag to the first corner.
Although only small, an extra 2-3km/h when the cars are already doing 340km/h down the straight could make the world of difference.
But while fans weren’t convinced of the legality of the car, former Red Bull Racing engineer Blake Hinsey pointed out the FIA perform several load tests on the cars to ensure compliance.
“If the technical regulations have specifications for rear wing deflection and this passes the tests, then it’s legal,” he said.
“Every piece of bodywork moves in complex ways under aerodynamic load.
“If McLaren have found a way to reduce the drag on their rear wing in a different way – congratulations, they’ve done a brilliant job engineering this system.”
Finding loopholes and exploits in what are in theory black and white regulations is the essence of Formula 1.
The rear-facing camera on Piastri’s car showed only a small gap in the rear wing when the car was travelling at low speed.
In the left photo, the rear wing could be seen squatting under load, which also slightly increased a gap between the two panels. The right image shows the wing had stood back up and the gap had closed as the car slowed down under brakes. FOX Sports
However, the same shot at the end of the straight when the wing had squatted down under load clearly showed the leading edge of the wing had also lifted, which widened the gap.
Rear-facing cameras on the Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes cars also showed the wing flexing, but none lifted the leading edge in the same way.
No teams have protested the legality of the wing.
Red Bull have previously been the kings of designing flexible wings, however much of their work was on the front wing.
The DRS on Leclerc and Sergio Perez cars are open as they chase Oscar Piastri. FOX Sports
The full DRS system opens the top flap of the rear wing, which reduces air resistance and gives the car a significant speed increase. In the race, it’s only available when the trailing car is within one second of the car in front, and can only be used in designated DRS zones.
For much of their battle, Leclerc was within one second of Piastri.
The Baku circuit had two DRS zones – at the end of the 2.2km long flat out drag over the start finish line, and also on the straight between turns two and three.
The FIA has confirmed the Marina Bay circuit will have four DRS zones for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.