Storm brewing? Will rivals McLaren be dragged into a technical row with Red Bull?

This time Max Verstappen did not bite and instead chose his words carefully.

Having been punished to do ‘some work of public interest’ for giving his forthright views in a televised press conference in Singapore last year, the F1 world champion was not going to make the same mistake again. Back then, he was slapped with community service for swearing, which ultimately saw him hauled to Rwanda ahead of the FIA prize-giving ceremony last December.

Instead, this time he put it diplomatically and succinctly when he was asked about his thoughts about McLaren’s rear wing flexing during the Japanese GP.

“I’m not disappointed in that. Everyone is trying to do their best and some people read the regulations a bit differently”, he said during his Dutch media session at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Thursday. “I don’t make the rules. And I’m also not the one enforcing them either."

The subject was raised again after a video emerged on X (Twitter) showing clips of the McLaren rear wing during the Japanese GP, which appears to flex under load. For context, a video of the Red Bull rear wing is also attached to the short clip, but does not flex to the same extreme.

There were no technical infringements picked up by the FIA’s scrutineering at Suzuka and while the short video is hardly conclusive, there is perhaps more to it than what Verstappen is making out, especially since the video was reposted by his dad, Jos Verstappen.

On the surface, it seems as though Verstappen is attempting to brush off the concerns. He even trotted out the line, “it’s up to the FIA to decide what is allowed”, as he volleyed the ball into the governing body’s court.

But is there is more to read in between the lines?

Indeed, the timing of his swearing outburst last year in Singapore is poignant as it centred on a brewing row between Verstappen’s Red Bull team and McLaren over a claim the latter was benefiting from a ‘mini-DRS’ which allowed for a degree of drag reduction at speed.

Back then, McLaren’s rear wing has been under the spotlight since the Azerbaijan GP last year, yet it came to a head at the race in Singapore — before Verstappen swore and the focus was shifted on the the Dutchman and his ludicrous punishment.

The FIA has since issued a new Technical Directive [TD] (ahead of the Australian GP) with regard to rear wings. The governing body made an even stricter clampdown at the Chinese GP, cutting down the tolerance from 0.5mm to 0.25mm on a vertical load bearing test on 75kg on the mainplain. For context, last year, the maximum slot gap was 2mm.

Motorsport.com understands that the FIA are aware of the video on social media and while there has been no official comment from the governing body, the rear wing will come under intense scrutiny in Bahrain.
And with a new TD not being issued until the Spanish GP in June, it could come to a head this weekend, only Verstappen will not be doing the finger-pointing.