The 2025 Formula 1 pecking order could be shaken up due to new tests that will restrict bodywork flexibility from this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, so here’s all you need to know about the major change.

What is the new F1 flexi-wing regulation?

The FIA announced in January that more stringent flexibility tests on front wings would be introduced from the ninth round of the season in Spain.

In short, flexible bodywork is outlawed in F1 but there is a tolerance. However, this leeway will be lessened from 15mm to 10mm on the front wing and its flap.

This may not sound like much but in a sport where the difference between a legal and an illegal car can be millimetres, it is a key change.

Why not introduce the tests at the start of the season?

After just one race of the season, the FIA decided to introduce new tests on rear wings straight away from the Chinese Grand Prix, so you may be thinking, why was the same not done for the front wings?

It takes longer to design and build a new front wing, so that’s why the teams have been given four months to get ready for the new tests.

The front wing is a vital component in F1 because it’s the first part of the car that airflow hits and the design dictates the initial aerodynamics of the car.

It also interacts with the front impact structure, so any redesign would need to pass impact tests which further complicates the procedure. On the other hand, a rear wing is a more simple structure, relatively, and does not have any impact test complications.

What are the benefits of flexi-wings?

Wing flexibility has long been key to performance in F1 because if you can get it right, it will give you an advantage.

A perfect F1 car would have incredible straight-line speed coupled with lots of downforce for the corners. However, physics mean the two don’t really go hand in hand.

For example, a low drag front and rear wing will give you a high top speed, due to low drag, but not much downforce in the corners.

The highly-competitive nature of F1 competition between the teams, though, means they push the boundaries of the regulations and, where possible, exploit grey areas to try and gain performance advantage over each other.

Will McLaren be impacted by the new tests?

It would not be a feisty F1 season without a technical controversy.

Flexi-wings were a major talking point during the thrilling 2021 season when both Red Bull and Mercedes accused each other of illegal wing flexibility.

Just last year, McLaren had a controversial rear wing which appeared to have a small gap open up to aid straight line speed, which was described as ‘mini DRS’ before it closed when slowing down for the corners, so downforce is still optimised.

McLaren were asked to change that rear wing at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix and it did not seem to affect their performance.

Since then, several teams have exploited flexible wings that help performance but still pass the FIA’s tests, so the car is legal.

Although McLaren’s rivals have not publicly accused them of exploiting this, there have been paddock suggestions that the Woking-based outfit might not be the team to beat from Spain onwards.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said earlier this month in Imola: “It’s good news when our rivals get their focus – rather than on themselves – onto some of the aspects that allegedly are present in our car, and that effectively are not even present.

“Certainly, even if they were – let’s say, flexi-wings like a front wing deflection, like everyone else – it has nothing to do with the reason why McLaren is very competitive.

“I hope that in the future there will be more of these kinds of sagas because it means that our rivals keep focusing on the wrong things, and this is, for us, just good news. It’s just helping our quest.”

What have the other top F1 teams officially said?

Red Bull’s Christian Horner, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and Ferrari’s Frederic Vasseur were all asked about the potential impact of the more stringent wing tests after Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Horner said: “Seven days ago we were in Imola at a higher-speed circuit and the car performed very well. We’re now heading back to some higher-speed circuits and, of course, essentially a regulation change.

“Now maybe that will have zero impact on the running order, but it’s a change and it will affect all the teams maybe neutrally but there will be an impact from it.”

“What we don’t know is how it will affect other…it’s a significant change and so of course there will be some effect. Now, of course, the teams have anticipated that so it may well be neutral or maybe it will have some affect on degradation. It doesn’t make life easier.”

Wolff said: “I think what we have seen is that Ferrari was probably most conservative on flexi wings. What it’s going to do on the pecking order is something we need to look at. I’m not sure it will, but another angle of curiosity and I don’t know how it’s going to go.”

Vasseur said: “I think Barcelona is on the calendar of everybody in the paddock with the new regulation for the front wing.

“At least we are working on it for ages now and this can be a gamechanger for everybody because we don’t know the impact on every single team of the new regulation.

“We’ll stick to this [at Barcelona], be focused on this, to have the better explanation of the new front wing.”

What will we see in Barcelona?

Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins on The F1 Show:

“The teams have now had eight races to get ready for it. So they know on each deflection test that they do in the FIA garage, they will know what their deflection is for each of the wings and each set-up that they run in.

“They will know how far out they are out, if any are out. We are not privy to that information, so we don’t know if anyone’s been regularly failing on the new metric of the front wing test.

“As much as teams speculate whether it’ll affect them or not, and there was a lot of discussion that it would affect McLaren and McLaren have said it won’t affect them, they’re not worried about it, the proof will be in the pudding.

“Is someone going to suffer by having to bring a new front wing? And we’ll find that out on Thursday when we get the parts that have changed on the car. And is anyone going to suffer with higher degradation, for example, or lower straight-line speed? That’s how we’ll see it.

“If someone doesn’t have the same speed at the end of the straight as we would expect, that’s where we’ll see it, so we don’t know and that’s going to make Barcelona a little bit more exciting.”

Sky Sports F1’s Spanish Grand Prix schedule

Thursday May 29
2pm: Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday May 30
8.50am: F3 Practice
10am: F2 Practice
12pm: Spanish GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3.35pm: Spanish GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
5.15pm: The F1 Show

Saturday May 31
9am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Spanish GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.10pm: Spanish GP Qualifying build-up*
3pm: SPANISH GP QUALIFYING*

Sunday June 1
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Spanish GP build-up*
2pm: The SPANISH GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Spanish GP reaction

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

F1’s European triple header concludes with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, with live coverage starting from Friday on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime