New footage of McLaren's rear wing during the Australian Grand Prix has emerged - and it's got fans talking.
McLaren's Lando Norris won the race at Albert Park, finishing ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and George Russell of Mercedes.
Norris led the race almost from lights to flag, only dropping down the order after pitting for intermediates while other cars stayed out on dry tyres.
He had a late-race battle to keep Verstappen behind him, but eventually crossed the line in first by 0.8 seconds.
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Had there not been changeable weather conditions in the second half of the race, however, it would have likely been a McLaren 1-2, with Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri comfortably ahead of the Dutchman.
In a statement following the Australian Grand Prix, the FIA confirmed its decision to 'toughen rear wing flexibility tests' starting from the Chinese GP this weekend.
The statement reads: "When 75kg of load is applied to the rear wing, the slot gap must not vary by more than 0.5mm instead of 2mm (with a temporary 0.25mm tolerance for Shanghai).
"Footage analysed from the Australian GP showed enough deformation to justify stronger controls. All cars in Melbourne passed the previous static test and were deemed fully legal.
"Between the end of the 2024 season and the start of the 2025 season, the FIA exercised the authority it is granted under Article 3.15.1 of the Technical Regulations to introduce either new or more challenging load-deflection tests for the front wing (from the Spanish Grand Prix), the upper rear wing, and the beam rear wing.
"Having analysed footage from the rear wing deformations combined to the static deflections measured inside the FIA garage in Melbourne, the FIA has concluded that sufficient grounds exist for a tougher test to be introduced from the Chinese Grand Prix on the upper rear wing."
The FIA did not state which teams' cars at the Australian Grand Prix prompted the rule change, but AutoRacer claim that the Federation are not targeting any team in particular.
Naturally, as happens on every occasion in these circumstances, fans are focusing on McLaren's car given they are the fastest team.
Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes all brought low-downforce rear wings to Melbourne, with McLaren's design having a V-shaped mainplane that was used during pre-season testing.
Ferrari followed in McLaren's footsteps but, as per reports, are confident that they have not breached any regulations.
Data indicated that the percentage delta between the closed flap and open flap (for DRS) was not significant, with Mercedes (24km/h increase), McLaren and Red Bull (23km/h) and Ferrari (22km/h) all displaying similar metrics.
On all 10 cars, it is the gap between the top section of the rear wing and the rest of the structure - dubbed a 'mini-DRS section' which is under scrutiny, as it affects the amount of airflow passing out of the car.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told the Kleine Zeitung newspaper that the 2023 Constructors' Champions would be 'keeping a very close eye' on whether McLaren's design specifically would be in potential breach of the regulations.
Footage of the Red Bull wing appeared to show some degree of flexibility, though the FIA will now assess each car to determine whether any action or adjustments need to be taken.
Meanwhile, new footage of McLaren's rear wing has emerged from the Australian Grand Prix, from an onboard with race winner Norris.
While there again appears to be some flexibility, F1 fans are not convinced that the wing could represent any breach.
One wrote: "Am I just blind or there really is nothing?"
A second said: "I can't see anything moving?"
A third said: "In China, everyone will be surprised when the new rule will have exactly zero effect on McLaren performance."
And a fourth stated: "The rear wing is not the reason McLaren are fast."
Topics: McLaren, Formula 1, Fan Reactions, Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, FIA
Ryan Smart