Mercedes may refrain from using new front wing: 'Not worth challenging FIA'

Mercedes arrived at the Circuit of the Americas with some major updates, including a new front wing. However, that part presumably did not comply with FIA regulations. Mike Elliott, the team's technical director, thinks it is not worth arguing with the governing body over the part that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have not yet driven with.

Illegal front wing Mercedes?

At the US Grand Prix, Mercedes was seen bringing a new front wing for the W13, but questions soon arose about the legality of the part. Those questions were particularly about the way the top two layers were attached to each other.

Elliott explains that Mercedes never intended to deploy the wing as early as Austin, but that the part was taken for the Mexico GP a week later. Extra copies would be on their way there to ensure that both drivers could drive with it while having enough spare parts.

Discussion ensued about the primary purpose of the fasteners, which, according to the regulations, may not be designed to gain an aerodynamic advantage. Mercedes is trying to make the case that the primary purpose of the controversial fixings is to hold the wing together and that the additional aerodynamic advantage is purely coincidental.

"There’s fuss about it because in the regulations it talks about the primary use being for mechanical or measurement purposes and clearly there’s a secondary benefit of an aerodynamic design which is in there as well," Elliott said, according to The Race. "We’ll decide whether we want to argue that or not. Actually, it’s not worth a huge amount. That detail looks interesting but it’s not the big thing on the front wing."

So Mercedes may not use the new part after all, and it remains to be seen whether we will see it again in Mexico. Nevertheless, the front wing was initially approved by the FIA, but as with many other things in Formula 1, it can still be protested against by other participants. That seems to have changed the FIA's mind.