Representatives from Williams will meet with the stewards in Shanghai this morning following allegations of a breach of a Technical Directive that ultimately relates to the use of flexible wings.
Specifically, it is alleged the Grove-based squad failed to provide the FIA with video footage from the front- and rear-facing roll hoop cameras from its cars following yesterday’s Free Practice 1.
A note from FIA Formula 1 technical delegate Jo Bauer noted that the footage had not been delivered within an hour “as described in the procedure ‘Additional Diagnostic’ of the Technical Directive TD034L.”
The document went on to suggest that amounted to a potential breach of three Articles within the Formula 1 technical regulations, specifically Articles 3.2.2 and 3.15.16, which relate to flexible wings and the presence of markers on the rear wing used to monitor flex.
The technical directive quoted, TD034L, was introduced to allow the FIA to fit high-resolution cameras on cars and monitor wing movement during Friday practice.
It follows a change of position from the FIA after it ended last season satisfied with the flexi wing situation after addressing mini-DRS loophole exploited by McLaren in Azerbaijan.
That position changed over the off-season, and the TD was introduced to allow the cameras to help the governing body monitor the situation.
The current situation creates an interesting test case as Technical Directives are typically only advisory.
Indeed, the footer of such documents seen by Speedcafe include a disclaimer that notes they are “advisory in nature and do not constitute Technical Regulations.”
However, Bauer has clearly interpreted the fact that TD034L was not satisfied to equate to a potential breach of the technical regulations.
“The Atlassian Williams Racing team failed to provide the video files recorded by the wireless forward and rearward facing cameras within one hour after the end of the first free practice session, as described in the procedure “Additional Diagnostic” of the Technical Directive TD034L,” Bauer reported.
“The video files recorded by these cameras are used to monitor compliance with the first paragraph of Article 3.2.2 and furthermore as referred to in Article 3.15.16 of the 2025 Formula 1 Technical Regulations.
“As this is not in compliance with Article 1.6 of the 2025 Formula 1 Technical Regulations, I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration.”
Article 1.6 of the technical regulations pertains to the car meeting technical and safety requirements as laid out in the regulations throughout an event.
In the stewards’ summons to Williams, that Article was omitted.
Furthermore, images of the Williams during opening practice clearly demonstrate the presence of markings on the rear wing in line with Article 3.15.16.
A new technical directive has been issued ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, increasing the load for static rear wing tests.
That has reduced the permitted variance in the slot gap—the distance between the DRS flap and the rear wing main plane—to just 0.75mm, down from 2mm.
It is know that Alpine and Haas had to modify their wings in order to meet the new directive.
From the Japanese Grand Prix, that will reduce to just 0.5mm ahead of the change expected to be formally incorporated in the technical regulations at the end of the month, following a vote by the World Motor Sport Council.
Flexi wings are a key topic in Formula 1 as the FIA looks to stamp out the practice as best it can.
That has seen it ramp up testing standards through the issuing of technical directives as F1 development out-paces its ability to tighten the relevant regulations teams are exploiting.
Another, technical directive relating to front wing load testing, is set to come into force from the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Williams situation could therefore set a precedent for how technical directives are interpreted and enforced in future.
In this instance, the intent of the directive is to gather data to help the regulator understand a broader issue that relates to car legality.
By not complying with that it is unclear if Williams has actually breached the regulations it is designed to assist.
Representatives from the team will meet with the FIA in Shanghai at 8:30 local time this morning.
The summons relates purely to opening practice, and not Sprint Qualifying, meaning the ninth and 13th place grid positions achieved by Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz are set to remain as is.
