Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin and McLaren let off by the FIA:
— Four top teams exceeded curfew hours between Wednesday and Thursday but were not penalized due to exceptional logistical delays.
— The FIA initially reported that Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, and Aston Martin had breached curfew, suggesting they would lose one of their four seasonal jokers.
— Later, the FIA reversed its stance, citing shipment delays from Australia to China as valid justification for the extra working hours.
— As a result, all four teams were allowed to retain their jokers and avoid any formal warnings or penalties.
Meanwhile, Two teams forced to adjust rear wing after FIA rule change:
— Alpine confirmed it had to modify its rear wing after the FIA introduced stricter rules limiting rear wing flex linked to the ‘mini-DRS’ concept.
— The team’s previous configuration failed to meet new deflection standards, prompting adjustments ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
— Haas was also impacted and had to reinforce its rear wing to pass the updated compliance tests issued by the FIA.
— Amid suspicions about McLaren and Mercedes, Lando Norris clarified his team was unaffected by the changes.
“McLaren did not need to adjust anything.”
