P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The new flexi-wing rules appear to have not slowed down Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris this weekend.
McLaren’s Andrea Stella finds the fervent discussion sparked by the FIA’s flexi-wing rule changes for the Spanish GP to be engaging. The governing body implemented stricter flexi-wing tests for the Barcelona round after nearly a year of assessments that commenced at the 2024 Belgian GP. Despite expectations of being greatly impacted by the alterations, McLaren dominated the field in practice, holding a seven-tenth advantage over Max Verstappen in FP3. During qualifying, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris secured the front-row, with Verstappen trailing the pole-sitter by 0.302s in third place. Reflecting on McLaren’s first front-row lockout in Spain since Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard in 1998, team principal Stella addressed the now-enforced technical directive, emphasizing its minor impact according to their data and simulations. Additionally, Stella affirmed McLaren’s lack of concern regarding the changes and noted Verstappen’s continued contention for the championship, dismissing any exclusion of the Red Bull driver from the title fight.
