LEWIS Hamilton’s Ferrari faces a thorough FIA investigation after Red Bull complained about it’s rear wings, according to reports.
The new 2025 F1 season is set to be one of the closest title fights in modern history after a promising pre-season test in Bahrain.
AFPLewis Hamilton’s Ferrari team are under investigation by the FIA[/caption]
RexRed Bull technical director Pierre Wache accused Ferrari and McLaren of still using ‘mini-DRS’ design tricks[/caption]
GettyMcLaren had already changed their rear wing designs once last season[/caption]
But FIA inspectors will head to Maranello to inspect Ferrari‘s latest F1 car after Red Bull’s complaints during pre-season testing.
Christian Horner‘s team argued Ferrari and McLaren were using a flexible rear wing trick to gain a performance advantage.
The FIA has promised to clamp down on it and run checks before the season opener in Melbourne on March 16.
F1’s governing body will place rear wings under increased scrutiny at the Australian Grand Prix next weekend.
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache raised fresh concerns last week, and told The Race: “It is still going on.
“I think Ferrari and McLaren are doing the mini-DRS stuff still.”
The extra investigation will include cameras on the rear wings of all 10 teams, allowing the FIA to monitor any flexibility outside of the regulations.
The Scuderia reject Red Bull accusations and don’t believe that they’ll face “too many problems”, according to Italian outlet FUnoAnalisiTecnica.
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As it stands, all cars with wings that have passed the FIA’s static load checks are deemed to be compliant within the rules.
McLaren already changed their rear wing designs once last season after complaints from their rivals.
Red Bull complained about McLaren’s ‘mini DRS’ rear wing trick after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a race won by Oscar Piastri.
Although the design was legal, the slot in the wing appeared to open narrowly under load which created an slight advantageous effect.
McLaren, who went on to win the constructors’ title, said they had “proactively offered to make some minor adjustments to the wing” after FIA talks.
They also made it clear they wanted to governing body to make sure other teams were not using similar tricks.
F1 2025 grid
Here are the confirmed driver line ups for the F1 2025 season:
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Williams: Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan
RB: Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar
Haas: Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon
The accusations travelled in multiple directions last term.
McLaren called attention to Red Bull’s front-bib device at the United States GP.
The front-bib is a tool that adjusts the height of the front of a car’s floor.
But FIA officials subsequently clarified that there was no way for the drivers to alter ride height from the cockpit, which would have been illegal.
Max Verstappen is the defending drivers’ champion but Lando Norris heads into the season as the title favourite with McLaren.
