Stella: Focus on McLaren rear wing psychological warfare

After Oscar Piastri won the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren MCL38 was in the spotlight after onboard footage showed the flaps of its rear wing flexing at speed when the DRS was not open and creating a small gap, something Formula 1 rivals, especially Red Bull, were concerned about as it would give McLaren a performance advantage, a speed boost on the straights, a mini-DRS.

The FIA, ahead of last week's US Grand Prix, duly clamped on the practice and asked teams to revise their cars and eradicate any flexing in the rear wings.

However, Stella played down the technical aspect of the matter, insisting it was F1 politicking; he told Motorsport.com: "Our wings were compliant with the technical regulations and passed all the flexibility checks in force; at the same time, we had conversations with the international federation, receiving all the necessary reassurances.

"Obviously, we read a lot of comments in the media, opinions that came mainly from our opponents, not necessarily from journalists, and certain articles seemed to be a vehicle to spread the voice of some of our opponents on the track," he added.

The Italian admitted "there was" annoyance from how the matter was dealt with and explained: "Seeing articles that appeared as a tool used by teams that wanted to put McLaren in a bad light through the media.

"The technical aspects are addressed with the federation; they are addressed with the regulations; they are addressed with the checks, but trying to put a team in a bad light puts us in a scenario where there is nothing concrete.

"It is an attempt at psychological warfare aimed at weakening the opponent, but on our part, the facts were very clear," he insisted.

"In the end, this story has strengthened us even more as a team, because when the opponents start to get so distracted thinking about our technical solutions, I can say that they are giving us good news; it means that they are losing their compass a little," Stella maintained.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, on the other hand, insists the McLaren rear wing matter needed to be rectified, insisting at this stage in the current F1 regulations, the slightest if factors will have an impact.

"Small details do make a difference, and particularly when the cars have converged as they have," Horner responded when asked whether the FIA's directives will have an impact on performance.

“It's all about marginal gains. That's what Formula 1 is all about. So yes, inevitably, there will be a difference from it [the FIA clarification]. How material it is will vary from circuit to circuit," the Briton added.