Will F1’s flexi-wing clampdown halt McLaren at Spanish GP? Five key questions

It’s a big weekend in the race for the 2025 F1 world championship after Lando Norris moved to within just three points of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri following the Monaco Grand Prix.

With the title race hotting up and the FIA clamping down on flexible front wings, we’re set for an intriguing weekend in Barcelona. 

Will the clampdown have an impact?

The biggest talking point heading into this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is the FIA’s flexi-wing clampdown. The FIA’s more stringent tests were announced ahead of the new season.

Unusually, teams have been given eight races to make adjustments to ensure they pass the FIA’s tests. Flexible front and rear wings have been a major talking point since last year, particularly after McLaren’s win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Which teams will benefit or lose out? Nobody knows at the moment.

Toto Wolff has suggested it could work in Ferrari’s favour given their “conservative” front wing design. It’s widely thought that McLaren and Mercedes have pushed the boundaries with aeroelasticity over the past 12 months.

However, McLaren have insisted that the change will not impact them. With the field so close, any slight dip in pace will likely impact this weekend and the wider title race. 

Max Verstappen back in the mix?

Max Verstappen could only finish fourth at last weekend’s Monaco GP. The bumpy, low-speed nature of the Monte Carlo streets didn’t play into the strengths of the RB21.

The good news is that Barcelona should. The Spanish circuit consists of mainly high-speed and medium-speed corners, with very few lower-speed turns following the removal of the final chicane.

Verstappen has won the last three Spanish GPs and should be back in the mix with the McLarens at the front of the field. 

Crunch time for Lewis Hamilton

Monaco was yet another underwhelming race for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. Other than during the sprint part of the weekend in China, Hamilton has been consistently out-performed by teammate Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc is a street circuit specialist, so the deficit in Monaco wasn’t too surprising. However, Spain is a weekend where Hamilton will have to show more speed.

Hamilton has excelled at the Barcelona circuit over the years. He dominated the race for Mercedes between 2017 and 2021.

In 2022, Hamilton showed electric race pace after picking up damage on the opening lap and was left to rue a missed chance at a race victory. He also picked up podiums for Mercedes in 2023 and 2024.

It’s one of his strongest tracks over the past decade, so if he’s a couple of tenths behind Leclerc again, it will be a cause for concern.

Will Mercedes’ stuttering form continue?

After a strong start to the season, Mercedes’ form has stuttered in recent races. Mercedes were the fifth-fastest team in the race at Imola, losing out to Williams and Ferrari.

Monaco was a weekend to forget as Kimi Antonelli crashed out at the end of Q2, leaving him 15th on the grid. George Russell was in the mix for a top five qualifying position but failed to make it into Q3 after an engine issue.

Their recent poor form has meant there are now just five points between Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. Like last year, they have tended to underperform in hotter temperatures, leading to excessive tyre overheating, which affects their race pace.

Momentum is key in F1, and Mercedes will be keen to turn things around fast. 

Home delight at last?

Fernando Alonso’s wait for a world championship point in 2025 goes on following his DNF in Monaco. Alonso was on course for a comfortable top seven finish in the principality until his engine hit trouble.

It’s been a season of misfortune for Alonso. However, the two-time world champion is keen to get this run of bad luck out of the way before getting his hands on an Adrian Newey-designed car next year.

Speaking after the race in Monaco, Alonso said: “Well, to be honest, I will be happy if everything goes like this the whole season and I win in Australia next year.

“For me, it doesn’t really change to finish P8 in Barcelona or Canada to score eight points this year or 22. It doesn’t change much.

“While next year, with the change of regulation, we really hope to be a contender for the championship. So I’m happy to accumulate all the DNFs this year.”

Still, Alonso will be desperate to get off the mark this year. And he will surely not want the history books saying that Lance Stroll out-scored him in 2025.