Despite concerns about how the FIA’s flexi-wing crackdown might affect their performance, McLaren silenced all doubters with a commanding 1-2 finish at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix.
With Oscar Piastri taking his second win of the season ahead of teammate Lando Norris, the Woking squad proved that their pace isn’t dependent on any aerodynamic loopholes.
The FIA’s new technical directive (TD) came into force in Barcelona, targeting excessive front wing flexibility after suspicions arose that some teams, including McLaren, were benefitting from designs that flex under load to improve aerodynamic efficiency. However, any expectation of a performance drop vanished as McLaren dominated the weekend.
Zak Brown, McLaren Racing CEO, wasn’t at the race in person due to commitments at the IndyCar Detroit GP, but his online reaction to the flexi-wing crackdown was both triumphant and cheeky.
“Mega drive from Oscar & Lando. 1-2 it doesn’t get much better than that! Great strategy and pit stops. Big thanks to everyone back home. Loving the front wings,” Brown posted on Instagram, making a pointed reference to the flexi-wing debate.
Norris applauds McLaren’s strength and dismisses criticism
Speaking to the press after finishing second in Barcelona, Lando Norris didn’t hold back when addressing the scrutiny McLaren faced in the lead-up to the race.
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“There was a lot of complaints about our car, and they introduced this TD and changed nothing,” Norris said. “The team have done a very good job to just give us a good all-round car and the best car on the grid.”
The Briton highlighted that McLaren’s success is the result of consistent development and strong execution across all departments.
“We’re very proud to be able to go and drive those cars every weekend,” Norris continued. “It’s credit to the team that we have to give day in and day out.”
Norris also acknowledged that qualifying remains a tight battleground and that their competitors, particularly Red Bull and Ferrari, are making strides.
“Although it’s clear we just have the best car on average, the others are catching up,” Norris admitted. “Our gaps in the race were probably a lot bigger in the beginning of the year than they are now. So I do think that our competitors are catching up.”
He concluded with a focus on continued improvement: “We just need to keep our heads down and keep working hard.”
The message from McLaren was clear — they’re not only unfazed by the rule change but thriving, and any speculation that their form was artificially boosted has been emphatically dismissed.
