Flexiwing rule didn't impact quali, will it impact the race? Stella weighs in
13:15, 01 Jun 2025
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A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, like everyone else, saw in how the crackdown on flexiwings had negligible impact on qualifying performance. But, will it have one in the race? The Italian answered this question to media like GPblog after qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Whilst everyone estimated - or hoped - the Technical Directive would alter the pecking order, this was not the case, as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris clearly showed locking out the front row for the race in Spain.
However, is it possible that where the TD failed to shake-up the order in qualifying, it would do so for the race? "The reality is we will never know because we don't have a thermal comparison," said Stella.
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Will the TD impact race performance? This is what Stella says
Stella, a well-versed engineer himself, believes the TD018's impact affects the behaviour of an F1 car and tyre degrations, but, due to the negligible quantifiable effect it's had, he's sceptical as to whether it will be felt throughout the race.
"But if I put my engineer hat for a second on and I look at the numbers, at least the numbers for McLaren, I would say this falls almost in the noise of what has an impact on the behaviour of Formula One car and tyre degradation."
"So my answer is essentially I don't expect an impact in terms of how the race would unfold and how the car interacts with the tyres."
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Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 12.06.26
Practice 1
11:30 AM
Practice 2
03:00 PM
Saturday 13.06.26
Practice 3
10:30 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 14.06.26
Race
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Friday 12.06.26
Practice 1
Fri 11:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 03:00 PM
Saturday 13.06.26
Practice 3
Sat 10:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 14.06.26
Race
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