FIA scrutineers have endorsed the front wings of McLaren and Mercedes, which have been a recent point of contention, especially after issues were raised by Red Bull regarding their excessive flexibility during the Canadian GP.
In Barcelona, Lando Norris from McLaren outperformed Max Verstappen's Red Bull to take pole position, with Mercedes showing improved speeds right behind.
"Mercedes have certainly made progress," Red Bull's advisor Dr Helmut Marko commented to Kleine Zeitung newspaper, "but above all they have increased their top speed. The same as McLaren."
Previously, at the Canadian GP, the FIA had validated the wings' compliance with regulations, and the same approval was granted before the Spanish GP.
"You only get this top speed when the wings deform aerodynamically," Marko elaborated. "It seems that Mercedes and McLaren have a front wing that complies with the rules because it has passed the inspection, but in racing trim it deforms significantly more than the regulations allow."
Despite these concerns, Marko acknowledged that the wings were technically legal.
"It is certainly not illegal," he stated. "It is just pushing the limits of what is possible. It is an eternal competition between the teams and the FIA."
