Mercedes remains in contact with the FIA to validate its new front spoiler
It was one of the innovations that caught the eye of the paddock. Mercedes brought an all-new front wing to Bahrain, which has already raised doubts among the German team's rivals. But Toto Wolff insisted that he had kept in touch with the FIA during the design phase.
The new front wing of the Mercedes W15, the 2024 single-seater from the German team, has caught the attention of the entire paddock from the first days in Bahrain. It has already raised questions among the other teams, who were wondering if the new innovation brought by Mercedes was in line with the regulations.
Since then, the design of this front wing has been subjected to intense scrutiny, and the FIA then looked into the case of Mercedes. But during the first day of winter testing, Toto Wolff confirmed that Mercedes remained in contact with the FIA during the design of their new part.
With the single-seaters now on track, clearer images of the front wing have emerged. It actually consists of three flaps, and the upper flap is connected to the nose of the car with a small piece of carbon fiber.
By the way, during the 2022 season, Mercedes had already introduced a front wing of this type, and it had been rejected by the FIA during the United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin. This new front wing would have created a “Y250 vortex,” an airflow that prevented cars from following each other before the 2022 regulations.
However, Toto Wolff revisited the question of the legality of this new wing introduced by Mercedes. “What is put on a car always follows an exchange with the FIA throughout the process,” explained the Mercedes team principal. “It is a lengthy dialogue process that takes place throughout the winter. I believe we are in the right position.”
A return to a more conventional concept for Mercedes
After two difficult years, Mercedes has adopted a new car concept, while its main rival, Red Bull, seems to be leaning towards a concept similar to Mercedes’ 2022 and 2023 models with spectacular pontoon and air intakes.
The truth is that each team is following its own development direction and trying to generate lap time in the virtual world, in simulators, and in the wind tunnel, added Wolff.
We have moved away from our “zero pontoon” concept and some of the features because we felt that it was not helping the car’s performance, and that is why we moved to something that, at first glance, seems more conventional from a bodywork perspective, but we believe it is a better platform, concluded the Austrian director.
Mercedes has always been on the edge of the regulations with new extreme innovations in its recent history. But for now, there have been no public indications that Mercedes’ front wing could come under scrutiny. According to rumors, the FIA may have doubts about the legality of this part and could still declare it illegal.
Meanwhile, Mercedes is making good use of this wing during these three days of winter testing, and we will have to wait until next weekend and the first Grand Prix of the season to see the FIA’s decision.
