RaceFans Round-up: 4th February 2025

11 comments on “RaceFans Round-up: 4th February 2025”

1. 

   El Pollo Loco
   4th February 2025, 8:14

   Have you guys not posted a story on the very odd flexi-wing rulings? It’s going to be the most impactful bit of news in terms of how this season plays out. Maybe I somehow missed it.

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   1. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      4th February 2025, 8:27

      So far nothing on this site.

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      1. 

         HamishB (@hamishb)
         4th February 2025, 13:34

         I am not sure what we get anymore here. Haven’t cancelled subscription yet but if things don’t improve drastically at the start of the season I am gone…

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   2. 

      An Sionnach
      4th February 2025, 8:53

      Say it’s okay with no rule change in 2025, then ban it after teams have spent their budgets? The rules should remain stable from when teams start working on the cars. If they find a trick that works the rules can change for the following year. No mid-season technical rulings and no dramatic changes like this one when the cars are made. It’s even more of a joke with the budget cap.

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      1. 

         El Pollo Loco
         4th February 2025, 13:24

         The decision is pretty mind blowing and yet another reflection of how dysfunctional the FIA, especially in terms of serving its F1 obligations.

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         1. 

            MichaelN
            4th February 2025, 17:20

            I agree that it’s dysfunctional, but probably not in the way most of the F1 paddock claims. The announced plans are because the FIA is listening to F1 too much. Specifically to its big teams, whose complaining seems to have overruled the arguments of the smaller teams, who seem to have the regulations on their side.

            The unfortunate thing about this is that the teams are still going to be incentivized to spend money twice (pre-Spain and Spain-onwards) and the likes of McLaren will, when successful, be seen to be skirting the rules. And rightly so, because that’s what they’re doing – enforcement or not.

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            1. 

               El Pollo Loco
               5th February 2025, 5:46

               Some interesting insights/opinions from Jordan’s former technical director:

               The change to the Formula 1 front wing load tests and the reduction in the allowable deflection by the FIA is too little, too late.

               The Spanish Grand Prix, when the new technical directive kicks in this year, is the ninth race of a 24-race season, which means a major change one-third of the way through the year.

               That means it’s almost a two-part championship, with the first running to the initial version of the rules and the rest to another.

               As far as I’m concerned, this is distorting the championship fight before it has even started.

               It reminds me of what happened when the double diffuser appeared in 2009.

               Three teams – Brawn, Williams and Toyota – started the season with it and Jenson Button ran away with the championship before the others were able to introduce their own version. It then became a close season, but Brawn’s early success ensured it won both championships. Those with more extreme wing flexibility early on in the 2025 season could benefit from a similar pattern.

               It’s difficult to quantify what this change will do to each individual car or indeed driver. It’s more about what each car needs to get the best performance out of it, but it is a 33% reduction in the allowable deflection so it will have an impact. In some cases that will be positive, in others negative.

               I always say there’s no magic bullet in F1 because it’s about all the parts of the jigsaw working in harmony and creating the best overall package.

               It’s not about simply having the best flexible front wing, it’s how it works in conjunction with the underfloor, with the outer floor edges, and with the rear wing characteristics to produce the best aero map profile through the speed range that moves the balance of the car rearwards with speed. However, if you get your flexi-wing working correctly to enhance the other requirements of the car then you will have a faster car.

               Way back in September of last year, I wrote an article and brought to the table the fact that it is front wing rotation that is the critical issue here rather than wing deflection.

               The outer ends of the front wing mainplane and flaps are not large downforce producing components. It’s easy to see they are fairly flat in angle of attack and if that isn’t enough, the blockage of the front tyre will destroy any flow that might produce downforce.

               [a bunch more here before this next part]

               My other complaint is that the FIA hands down penalties to drivers when they make a poor decision and also fine teams for an unsafe release from their pit box, In both these instances, they have milliseconds to make that decision not three months – which is what the FIA have had to introduce new deflection tests.

               By now, the start of February, most teams will have put to bed their 2025 car characteristics and be focusing their top end design engineers on the 2026 car – which is being designed for major aerodynamic rule changes – leaving their not so experienced design engineers to dot the I’s and cross the T’s on the 2025 car’s development path. Now that all needs to change.

               If I was a technical director now I would be fairly miffed about this change. That’s not because I’d believe my front wing was flexing better than others, but because of it being a mid-season change. The FIA says “these adjustments are aimed at further refining our ability to monitor and enforce bodywork flexibility regulations, ensuring a level playing field for all competitors to promote fair and exciting racing” (my italics). In reality, this is in no way creating a level playing field.
2. 

   Unicron (@unicron2002)
   4th February 2025, 8:16

   Such a cool photo, I’ve not seen that one before – black Minardi amongst the snow . I thought it was Salo in the lovely 98 Arrows initially .

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3. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   4th February 2025, 8:31

   A predominantly black Minardi with snow surrounding the track is an interesting & unusual sight.
   I Initially mistook the circuit for Imola due to the green wall & houses on the other side.

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   1. 

      Simon
      4th February 2025, 21:38

      It… says… Misano???

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4. 

   David BR (@david-br)
   5th February 2025, 16:05

   RE COTD: Not sure if qualifying ahead of Leclerc is the key for Hamilton to beat him by itself – meaning, in terms of which is best, qualifying setup or race setup – but I do think that it would be excellent for Hamilton to focus on one lap speed for a change. During the Mercedes dominance era, when he was against Rosberg and Bottas, his extra pace meant he could switch to focusing on race setup, dropping a few fractions of a second in qualifying pace knowing he’d still have an edge over his rival(s) and would be even better over the race. Part of his adjustment to tyre management too in an era when it mattered more. But since the 2022 design regulations and a faster team mate in Russell, that strategy seems to have mostly failed (relatively). If the reports are true that he’s feeling more in his natural ‘zone’ in the Ferrari compared to the post-2021 Mercedes, could be a good route to go.

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