Horner bracing for flexi-wing rule impact - scope ‘hard to predict’

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has weighed in on Formula 1’s imminent rule changes surrounding flexi-wings, believing that the effects of the adjustments will impact all teams, and therefore the competitive landscape.

The new regulations and stringent controls targeting the controversial issue of aero flexibility will take effect at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona at the end of the month.

The FIA’s updated technical directive will limit wing flexibility from 15mm to a stricter 10mm threshold, aiming to eliminate the use of subtle but powerful aerodynamic tricks that have raised competitive integrity concerns.

The issue came to prominence last year following McLaren’s standout performance in Azerbaijan, where Oscar Piastri’s victory was attributed in part to the team’s innovative rear wing design.

Their use of aeroelasticity – where the wings subtly bend under aerodynamic load to enhance speed on straights – created what some teams considered an unfair advantage.

McLaren’s front and rear wing setups, combined with strong tyre management, have helped catapult the Woking squad to the top of both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

While the rule is designed to level the playing field, Horner isn’t convinced it will produce straightforward results.

Not Just a Tweak

“For sure it’s going to have an effect,” Horner told the media in Miami. “How much it affects your competitors versus your own, it’s difficult to predict, but for sure it’s a significant change.

“It’s not just a tweak. It will affect all of the cars, it’s just to what quantum.”

The aerodynamic clampdown is being closely watched by rival teams hoping it offers a route back into title contention. Ferrari, for one, has expressed confidence that the updated rules may close the gap to McLaren, as they seek to recover from a rocky start to the year.

Red Bull, meanwhile, has made only incremental improvements to its RB21, including a new floor on Max Verstappen’s car during the Miami Grand Prix.

But Horner remains hopeful that the team can use the second half of the season to claw back ground in the standings.

“A Long, Long Way to Go”

“It’s a 24-race championship, there’s a long, long way to go,” Horner emphasized.

“They’re [McLaren] looking mightily impressive at this point. As we leave Miami, things can change, but we need to start making an indentation into the points over the coming races.”

Despite McLaren’s consistency and pace, Horner believes Red Bull is not far off – especially when considering recent race pace comparisons.

But when pressed on whether Red Bull can claw back the deficit, Horner pointed to the fine margins defining the current season.

“I don’t think there’s a ‘Eureka’ moment, but I think it’s very fine, because if you look at the race pace and the degradation we had there was better than or at least the same and marginally better than McLaren,” he noted.

• Read also: Piastri dismisses Horner’s Barcelona flexi-wing warning

“Two weeks later they haven’t brought a huge amount of different car specifications, it’s more circuit specific that has exposed these issues and I think the braking issues that we’ve had have compounded our issue because then you lose control of everything just runs too hot.”

With the new wing regulations set to take effect soon, all eyes will be on Barcelona to see how the revised rules reshape the competitive order.

As Horner suggests, the implications could be significant – but exactly how significant remains “difficult to predict.”

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