FIA issues alarming update on McLaren's flexi wing footage from F1 Japanese GP

FIA revealed that they were aware of the footage circling social media about McLaren's flexi wings from the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend. The Woking-based outfit have been the dominant force in the 2025 season as they have won two of the first three races and have continued its championship-winning form from last year.

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The British team were arguably the fastest car for the majority of last year as well, with its flexi rear wings being one of the more controversial innovations on the car. The sport's governing body had asked the world champions to stop using its "mini DRS," but only announced a clampdown on the flexi wings for the Spanish GP later this year.

In a viral clip shared by Cytrus F1 on his X platform, McLaren could be seen having a flexible rear wing on the high-speed corner of the Suzuka International Circuit last weekend. The clip has attracted over half a million views and was even reposted by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen on social media.

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As per The Race, FIA claimed that they too had seen the clip but were not taking action as no team had filed a complaint on the issue thus far. In his pre-race interview, Max Verstappen was asked about the footage and said:

“I don't make the rules. And I'm also not the one enforcing them. What I see probably a lot of people see - but that's it. I mean, I know what's going on. I just focus on the car, our car. It's the only thing that I can do.”

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Many believe that the FIA's technical directive in flexi wings that are going to be enforced from the Spanish Grand Prix would hit teams like McLaren hardest.

McLaren F1 driver gives his honest opinion on FIA's flexi wing clampdown

McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri stated that he was "confident" that they would remain strong and that the technical directive in Spain wouldn't hinder their performance.

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Speaking to the media ahead of the Bahrain GP, the Aussie reflected:

“I'm pretty confident we’ll be strong all year. I don’t think it’ll change too much. I’ve not spoken to the team about it massively, in all honesty, which probably tells you enough about that. So yeah, let’s see when we get to Spain. But we’ve still got a lot of races until then and I think we’ll be a strong team all year round.”

The Woking-based outfit are currently leading the Constructors' Championship with 111 points to its name and has a gap of 36 points to its nearest challenger Mercedes after the three races and One Sprint. McLaren would look to break its duck in Bahrain this weekend as it has been a historically weak track for them.

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About the author Devang Chauhan Devang is a Formula 1 and NASCAR journalist at Sportskeeda with 3500+ articles and over 5 million reads under his belt. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has a total experience of 3.5 years.

To keep up with the sport’s developments, Devang watches every single session and comes up with unique angles for the stories, from the readers’ perspective, using his expertise in the field. He strives to report accurate, ethical and relevant data by reading information from verified sources in the field, ones that are also trusted by industry experts.

Currently, his favorite drivers on the grid are Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo; he is particularly impressed by how the two drivers rarely lose their cool and approach everything with a smile on their faces. He classifies himself as a ‘Tifosi’ and is a Charles Leclerc fan.

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