Oscar Piastri has once again rejected fears that the FIA’s Flexible Wing clampdown at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix this weekend would cut McLaren’s season.
The big buzz heading towards this weekend’s race at the Barcelona Catalña circuit is the more stringent tests on the FIA front wing.
Ahead of the 2025 Formula One season, the Sport’s governing body announced that a more rigorous testing of the Spanish Grand Prix will be introduced amid concerns about how well the front and rear wings are bent.
McLaren’s rear wing attracted the attention of the F1 paddock following Piastri’s victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Since then, measures have been taken to monitor aeroelasticity.
Many drivers downplay the claim that the change will have a major impact on the Spanish hierarchy.
Piastri also feels that McLaren’s small changes to the front wing have only a small effect.
“I think the biggest problem is how exaggerated it is,” Piastri said in Barcelona.
“We know what’s different. I think everyone has to change to some extent. I’m not running the front wing, but Rand has already run the front wing before this year, and I’m sure it’s not our magic bullet.
“There’s no magic bullet. That’s not our main strength.”
F1 title race will be hot up with McLaren
Following Randnoris’ victory in Monaco, there are only three points between the McLaren drivers ahead of Sunday’s race.
Piastri won four of the opening eight races, but Norris returned to Monte Carlo on an epic qualifying lap to score his first victory in the Principality.
The Australian expects to be tight again with his teammates this weekend.
“I hope so. It’s always tough wherever we go,” he added.
“There was a weekend when I got a little faster, there was a weekend when Rand got a little faster, but it wasn’t necessarily the weekend when we hit a beat.
“It’s not just fast, so I think it’s going to go down a little bit throughout the year, but I’m pretty sure I’ve analyzed something a bit wrong in Monaco.