The FIA has introduced a new, more thorough technical inspection for the start of the 2021 Formula One season. For this, a car is randomly chosen after each Grand Prix to be inspected. At the Spanish Grand Prix, it was Sergio Perez who had to report with his Red Bull Racing car.
What’s striking about this choice is that Lewis Hamilton’s comments about Red Bull’s flexible rear wing, which he made the day before, put Red Bull under a magnifying glass. It remains to be seen whether the FIA’s choice, in this case, was entirely arbitrary.
During the in-depth technical inspection parts of the car are removed, and conformity and software checks are performed. Perez’s car passed the inspections successfully. “All inspected components were found to comply with the technical regulations of Formula 1 in 2021,” reads the FIA.
Apart from this thorough check, the FIA announced shortly after the Spanish Grand Prix that there would be additional tests, to check that the rear wing is not too flexible. Red Bull Racing has passed all current tests successfully but may need to make adjustments to pass the new tests. This is probably not only true for Red Bull: other teams are also expected to make adjustments to the rear wing and will be given time to do so until the French Grand Prix.
