F1 Wing flex saga & Spain TD more like millennium bug scare than gamechanger

[John S]

Apart from other controversy at Spanish GP what a let down the fabled game changing wing flex TD turned out to be. 

"This was not a light-switch moment for any team. It probably cost each of them £500,000 to develop the new parts, but has been an invisible difference to the punter." is how Gary Anderson put it in his piece for the Daily Telegraph.

Why Oh Why were teams forced to spend $500k & upwards on wing changes that really changed nothing? 


TD018 saw the introduction of more specific and rigorous front wing static load tests at round nine, the Spanish Grand Prix. The allowable deflection during static load testing was reduced from 15mm to 10mm, while the permitted bend in the front wing flaps was down from 5mm to 3mm.

It was widely tipped to be a gamechanger that could alter the course of the F1 2025 championship.

However it didn't, at least not when it came to the timesheets in Spain.

Championship leaders McLaren continued to be this year’s pace-setters as they topped every session, including a front row lock-out in qualifying and the 1-2 in the Grand Prix.

It raises the question, why was the technical directive so hyped up when in truth its impact was negligible?

Selected edited paras courtesy Michelle Foster, Planetf1.com, Today.

......... Answers on a postcard (if there are any), or preferably on this thread.