Wing Wars: Honda vs BMW

By Phil Huff
June 27 2006

The Canadian Grand Prix proved an interesting event, both on and off track, as Honda Racing F1's Nick Fry let everybody know exactly how he felt about BMW-Sauber's rear wing.

Photographic evidence has show the top plane of the BMW's rear wing to be flattening at speed, closing the gap to the lower plane and therefore reducing drag. The benefit of such a system is clear - the car goes quicker down the straights, but retains its downforce in the corners.

While the flexi-wing drama has been rumbling on since the beginning of the season, a late clarification from the FIA, insisting that a separator be introduced between the two planes, meant that the flexing was effectively outlawed.

However, the BMW wings have clearly been moving around on track, and Nick Fry for one isn't happy about it.

"If they are contravening the rules," Nick Fry told autosport.com, "then we would expect the FIA to do something about it. If they don't, then we will seriously consider lodging a protest."

BMW Sauber's Mario Thiessen was unrepentant. "Charlie [Whiting] came over this morning and he inspected the car and rear wing again," explained the Swiss based team boss. "He confirmed that it was in conformity with the rules, so there will not be anything. There is nothing to do and it is fine."

Following that intervention from Charlie Whiting [the FIA's technical delegate], Honda elected not to carry out their threat of a protest, with the team confident that any static test applied to the BMW wouldn't demonstrate the flexing effect.

"It now is a matter of finding a test that would address this particular issue," explained Fry. "Not only do the static photographs demonstrate quite clearly that the rear wing is flexing, the rearward facing cameras from yesterday show the same. Charlie is aware of that and he is looking into that. I am sure he will have further discussions with the team about it."

With Honda struggling for pace, BMW are becoming an ever closer threat to their fourth place in the Constructors Championship, and the Brackley outfit aren't happy about any advantage that BMW gain, especially when they consider the means to be of doubtful legality.

"It is not fair," added Fry. "Ourselves and other teams are spending millions of pounds racing and we need to all race according to the same rules."

Reports that a pot and kettle were seen walking by, shortly before a new fuel tank was delivered to the team, are believed to be wide of the mark.