Following the FIA`s confirmation that McLaren`s car did not illegally use liquid cooling for its tires, team principal Andrea Stella stated that their rivals are getting `defocused` by pursuing unfounded suspicions. This occurred ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
McLaren`s dominant start to the 2025 season, securing five wins in the first six races, seemingly led to suspicions among some rival teams regarding how the MCL39 manages to keep its tires within an ideal operating window to enhance tire wear.
McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown even made light of the rumors by bringing a bottle labeled “tire water” to the pit wall in Miami.
Ahead of the Imola race weekend, the FIA announced that championship leader Oscar Piastri`s car was randomly selected for “extensive physical inspections.” These included checks of the wheel bodywork and the brake cooling system (liquid cooling is prohibited). All components examined were found to be “in conformance” with the technical regulations.
Commenting on the situation, Stella said: “It`s a bit of a shame for the workload it creates for the FIA, but that`s a matter for them to resolve. The FIA should probably set a higher threshold for entertaining such allegations, as they create a lot of work and lead nowhere. But I welcome the fact that other teams are getting defocused.”
FIA aims to end flexible wing controversy with new tests in Spain
Another subject of contention involving McLaren over the past year has been “flexible” wings.
Following last season`s “mini-DRS” controversy concerning the degree of rear wing flexing observed on some cars at high speed, the FIA announced the introduction of new load tests for wings starting in the 2025 season. Flexible bodywork is forbidden in F1.
New limits on rear wing deflection were implemented at the season-opener in Melbourne and further tightened from the second round in China. However, the upcoming tests in Barcelona will specifically target front wing flexibility.
Footage from various races this year has shown wings on several cars deflecting on the straights (potentially increasing top speed) before returning to a rigid position for corners, thus maintaining maximum downforce benefits.
McLaren`s leadership previously stated that the new Barcelona tests would not affect them, and Stella reiterates that “even if there were front wing deflection, it has nothing to do with why McLaren is so competitive.”
Stella concluded his remarks by stating: “For McLaren and for me personally as Team Principal, this level of attention from our rivals is good news, and I hope we see even more of it in the future. This tells me our rivals are focused externally rather than concentrating on the fundamentals. This is exactly what we strive for at McLaren: we focus on ourselves and the engineering fundamentals, which is where we generate the performance to be highly competitive. If that`s the approach they choose, for us, it continues to be great news.”
Gilbert Pendleton