Mercedes adjust controversial new front wing for F1 Mexico City Grand Prix
The new front wing caused a stir in the F1 paddock when it🍌 was revealed publicly at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix despite Mercedes never actually running it.
Mercedes’ experimental new wing featured five enlarged slot gap separators which caught the attention of at least on🍌e rival team, who queried the design with the FIA.
This led to speculation of an “exchange” between Mercedes and F1’s governing bod🃏y about whether it complied to the 𒉰regulations or not🙈.
Mercedes cho✃se not to run the wing all weekend in Austin, explaining it was always the plan not to do so as the team didn’t have enough parts to give to both drivers.
“The reason we didn’t run it in Aust🍒in was that we only had one of𓂃 those parts,” trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said in Mercedes’ post-race debrief video.
“So, if we damaged it during qualifying it would have meant the car that damaged the wing had 🐭to start from the ba꧋ck.
“Also with a very busy pro🍨gramme, we had the tyre test in FP2💧, we didn’t actually have time to evaluate.
“We have more of those parts available in Mexico, we will run that on the Friday, we’ll check it’s🌺 all working as expected, and the plan at this stage is to race that wing.”
A revised version of the new front wing - with the controv൲ersial flap separa✃tors removed - was revealed in the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez paddock on Thursday.
Mercedes has removed t⛦he controversial flap separators (turning vanes) to not get in trouble with FIA. Expect them to run the new wing🤡 in FP1.
— Tobi Grüner (@tgruener)
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for ma♚hbx.com around the world. Often reporting on the actꦏion from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
