Formula 1
Marko: Wolff "should look at his front wings" amid protest threat
Helmut Marko has warned Mercedes chief Toto Wolff that he should “look at his front wings” as Formula 1 heads for possible protests in Baku over flexi-wings.
Luke Smith Christian Nimmervoll
Edited: May 31, 2021, 7:43 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
F1 teams have been engaged in debate over the stability of rear wings since the Spanish Grand Prix, when Lewis Hamilton passed comment about Red Bull running a “bendy wing”.
The FIA has since moved to clamp down on the flexi-wings by introducing new rigidity tests that will come into force from the French Grand Prix.
But Mercedes and McLaren were left unhappy that the FIA had not introduced the tests sooner, meaning teams such as Red Bull, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo could still take advantage of the rule loophole in Azerbaijan next week.
Mercedes team principal Wolff warned in Monaco that F1 was heading for a “very messy” situation if the FIA did not issue clarification before the Baku weekend, indicating the case could lead to a protest.
But Red Bull advisor Marko felt the FIA had made it clear when the new tests would come into force, and indicated Red Bull may look to counter-protest Mercedes over the flexibility of its front wing.
“We find this a bit strange,” Marko said in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com's sister publication Formel1.de.
“The FIA has decided that the rules for the test, especially for the torsion resistance, will be changed. This will apply from Paul Ricard onwards. That is a very clear statement and regulation.
“If Mr Wolff thinks that is too late for him - in my opinion, it is still the FIA that determines the procedure. If he does that [protest], he is free to do so.
“But I think he should also look at his front wings. Because on ServusTV and also on Sky, there was a recording where you saw how drastically this front wing approaches the ground.”
Asked if Red Bull could protest against Mercedes’ front wing, Marko said: “Right.”
Helmut Marko, Consultant, Red Bull Racing, Toto Wolff, Executive Director Mercedes AMG F1
Photo by: Andrew Hone / Motorsport Images
It is not the first time that Red Bull has made reference to the flexibility of the front wing on Mercedes’ W12 F1 car amid the ongoing saga.
Wolff said on Sky Sports last weekend that Mercedes had checked its front wing and found it was “bending exactly the same way as the Red Bull”, and that the teams “could be protesting each other on the front wing also”.
Wolff added: “But it's clear that the rear wing bends more than it should. Under the rules, it has been classified as non conformance.”
Read Also:
- How Bottas' pitstop ended up being 43 hours long
- Hamilton: "Childish" to get into war of words in F1 title battle
- Why Perez has to become another Mr Saturday
Marko said Red Bull had been forced to make similar changes to its car back in 2012 and 2013 when stricter tests were introduced, but said they were always done in accordance with deadlines.
"We had to make improvements each time,” Marko said. “A deadline was set and we made improvements within this period. That is a normal process.
“At the moment, we are on the road with a legal car. And at Paul Ricard, we will put a corresponding reinforcement on our rear wing.”
Marko did acknowledge that the debate over flexi-wings was “not championship-deciding” in the fight between Red Bull and Mercedes, with the teams separated by just one point at the top of the constructors’ standings.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Ocon highlights 'massive' role of new engineers in performances
Next article Aston Martin 'clawing back' performance in 2021 F1 season
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1 Jul 22, 2025
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 19, 2023
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1 Feb 18, 2023
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Red Bull Racing
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
Formula 1 6 h
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Latest news
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Homestead
1 h
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 6 h
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe