Max Verstappen has downplayed the significance of the FIA’s new clampdown on front wing flexibility ahead of the F1 Spanish GP, stating that he doesn’t expect it to drastically shake up the pecking order.
The introduction of the long-awaited TD018 this weekend in Barcelona aims to limit the aerodynamic advantages gained from flexible front wings, which have become a major talking point over the past year or so, partially in response to McLaren’s rise to frontrunner status.
Flexi wing clampdown unlikely to be a gamechanger
Although some have speculated that the new regulations may affect certain teams more than others, Verstappen remains unconcerned. Speaking in his print media on Thursday, the four-time world champion admitted he doesn’t expect the technical directive to have a significant impact.
“Not so much. It will change the balance of the car probably a little bit,” Verstappen said. “But I don’t expect massive time gains or losses between the teams.
“For us, not too much. I can say that with quite a lot of confidence.”
He explained: “I think those wings, they never really gave us a massive performance gain.
“I don’t know if we got it wrong or didn’t extract the most out of it. But even for the other teams, I’m sure it’s all manageable. If you have a good car, you have a good car. Okay, the front wing bends a bit less, but I think you can tune it around it.”
No clear predictions for Barcelona
Looking ahead to the F1 Spanish GP, Verstappen was cautious about making any bold predictions. Although Red Bull had a strong showing at Imola, he is unsure whether that level of performance can be replicated in Barcelona, suggesting that McLaren may simply have been off their best form in Italy.
“Well, Imola was of course at the end very positive,” Verstappen said.
“But to try and replicate something like that, I don’t know. We’ll try to do our best, but I also don’t know if Imola was just a very strong showing from us or maybe a weaker showing from McLaren. It’s very hard to tell.”
On the championship battle in 2025
Verstappen is currently third in the Drivers’ standings, trailing Lando Norris by 22 points after the Brit won last week’s round in Monaco ahead of his championship-leading McLaren teammate, while Verstappen finished off the podium in P4. The Red Bull driver has enjoyed a strong start to the season, securing victories in Japan and Imola despite the team’s dip in form. However, Verstappen admitted he doesn’t consider himself a genuine contender for the title this year.
“For me it doesn’t really feel like a fight, to be honest. I just try to do my best, have a bit of fun out there,” he said. “It’s not like this season, up until this point, is going to be in my memory forever.
“I’m more excited if I know that we’re going to be super quick. That’s the most exciting. The rest, I always try to do my best, but this year so far it had some real positives, but of course also some negatives.
“With some races we are really off the pace, which is not enjoyable. [The fighting spirit] is never disappearing. But that also doesn’t mean that I’m enjoying it or loving it.”
He added: “It’s not that I don’t believe. I just walk up to the track and I do the best I can every single weekend. I don’t need to believe in it fully or not.
“I know that every time I go out there, I do the best I can. With a car that is capable of P5, I will put it P5. If it’s capable of winning, I’ll win. Honestly, I just approach it very simple.”
