The FIA tightened the rules for China
The FIA confirmed that in Melbourne, all cars were checked for the flexibility of aerodynamic elements and complied with the technical regulations, but in the next race the rules will be tightened through the publication of mandatory technical directives.
Official FIA statement
As previously reported, between the end of the 2024 season and the start of the 2025 season, the FIA used the powers granted to it under Article 3.15.1 of the technical regulations to introduce new or refine existing deflection tests for front and rear wing elements. In addition, the FIA has asked teams to install video cameras on their cars at free races in Melbourne to monitor deformations on the track.
After analyzing the footage of the rear wing deformations in combination with static deflections measured by the FIA in Melbourne, the FIA concluded that there are sufficient grounds to introduce, starting with the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix, more stringent tests for bending the upper bar of the rear wing.
In particular, article 3.15.17, introduced in 2025, states that if a vertical load of 75 kg is applied to either end of the main plane of the rear wing, the distance between the main plane and the flap (known as the "gap") should not change by more than 2 mm. Starting from the upcoming Shanghai Grand Prix, this limit will be lowered to 0.5 mm. Due to the proximity of the Shanghai stage, a tolerance of 0.25 mm will be added to the new limit.
The teams were informed about the revised test rules on Monday morning, March 17th.
The FIA would like to further confirm that in Melbourne, all cars have passed the tests provided for in Article 3.15.17 and have been found to comply with the regulations.
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The FIA tightened the rules for China
By the next race, the rules will be tightened through the publication of mandatory technical directives.