Horner and Vasseur may be dissapointed after Spain's front wing spec change

18:12, 12 May

Updated: 18:28, 12 May

byNorberto Mujica

In Barcelona TD018's update will be enforced to clamp down on the front wing's flexibility levels, which some believe will be a reset to F1's pecking order. However, Aston Martin team boss and CEO, Andy Cowell, wonders if a reset will actually end up happening.

Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari's team principal is such one who believes F1 will undergo a rest in the hierarchy after the updates to TD018 are enforced in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Red Bull Racing's team boss Christian Horner, whilst not as severe in his assessment, did ultimately believe the changes to the front wing's flexion levels would indeed affect the performance of the cars.

Cowell is yet to see a flexion mitigating TD have any effect in F1's hierarchy

For Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell, however, it is not as clear-cut. Who will be hindered the most in Barcelona, then? The Briton responds: "I guess it depends how much you've been exploiting what the FIA are now clamping down on, doesn't it?", he said to media like GPblog, after the race in Miami.

"And everybody's in a different position. So Fred's (Vasseur, Ferrari's team boss, ed.) said how it's going to impact him. Let's have a chat on the evening after Barcelona and I'll tell you how it's impacted us."

Oscar Piastri behing the wheel of McLaren's MCL39 at the Miami Grand Prix

Aerodynamic flexibility in F1 for decades

In fact, Cowell knows that this issue is not a new topic in F1, seeing as the series has been facing it for decades.

"Aerodynamic flexibility is something that's been in the sport for decades and the FIA have gone from finger prod tests to a well-defined finger prod test to quite sophisticated loading tests."

After alluding to the many times the FIA has attempted to adjust the flexibility levels of the aerodynamic components in the car, he then made a statement that could shed more light on McLaren's confidence that the change set for Spain will have no impact whatsoever in their sporting capabilites.

"It's another one of many dozens of tightening. And I don't know whether any of the previous ones saw a wholesale change in the pecking order of the grid."