Nico Rosberg’s McLaren ‘grey areas’ verdict after fierce response on ‘mini-DRS’ saga

2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg praised McLaren for “maximising those grey areas of legality” after their rear wing kicked up a fuss.

McLaren’s low-downforce rear wing became a major talking point after Oscar Piastri’s Azerbaijan GP win, with footage showing the upper and lower elements on his MCL38’s rear wing parting to create a slot gap down the straights, dumping drag and boosting performance, in what was dubbed a ‘mini-DRS’ system.

Nico Rosberg sees McLaren ‘on it’ with ‘mini-DRS’ initiative

Amid the scrutiny, McLaren “proactively” offered to alter that rear wing after talks with the governing body the FIA, and after they claimed pole via Lando Norris in Singapore, team boss Andrea Stella had a message to rival teams who had placed the question marks.

McLaren’s rear wing had raised eyebrows with the likes of Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko and Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur, while Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and technical director Pierre Waché met with Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s single-seater technical director, on Thursday night in Singapore to air their concerns.

“Well, the effect is absolutely zero,” Stella insisted to Sky after qualifying in reference to the rear wing alteration. “I think we saw that today.

“For us, it’s just good news that our competitors get distracted with this kind of things, because it means they don’t focus on themselves. And for us, it’s just an advantage.

“So we are completely comfortable that this is a little bit of a red herring that somebody is picking up.

“The wing is legal. There’s no topic, really. I think it’s just a story, but it looks like everyone looks for some stories.

“That’s good. It’s good for us. We keep focus on ourselves, feet on the ground, keep delivering upgrades, and that’s what we do. And then we talk on the track.”

And McLaren earned the praise of Rosberg for pushing the regulations to the limit.

“They are the ones pushing the boundaries the most,” said Sky F1 pundit Rosberg.

Banned innovations and FIA rules changes

👉 ‘Fiddle brake’ banned: The controversial McLaren braking system banned by the FIA

👉 Five big rule changes the FIA introduced to reel in dominant F1 teams

“They’re maximising those grey areas of legality.

“On the rear wing, we know that all the teams are doing it on the front wing and rumours are McLaren is also there pushing the boundaries.

“And that for me is also an indication that they’re just on it you know, because that’s what you need to do when you’re looking for performance, push those limits.”

Norris went on to dominate in Singapore, winning the race by 21 seconds over title rival Max Verstappen and reducing the Red Bull driver’s Championship lead to 52 points with six rounds remaining.

Read next: Guenther Steiner weighs in on FIA swearing ‘warpath’ after Max Verstappen punishment