By: Yesterday, as the first media commitments surrounding the Bahrain Grand Prix were taking place, the FIA released a new revision of the draft that will become the 2027 technical regulations.
There are many new features buried within the text, but the section on movable wings has drawn particular attention.
Alongside the new Power Units, these are the most significant innovation in the 2026 regulations, so it is no surprise that adjustments are being considered.
The FIA doubles down on safety
As anticipated, the Federation has intervened to improve the safety of the systems, responding to the Red Bull movable-wing issue that caused two heavy crashes in succession for Max Verstappen.
For this reason, paragraphs C3.10.10 and C3.11.6, concerning the front and rear wing adjustment systems, now specify:
“The design must be such as to ensure that, in the event of a failure, the system returns to the "Corner Mode" position; failure modes that would prevent the front wing flap (FW Flap) from returning to this position must be considered, and the associated risks minimised”
But that is not all.
Another change to catch the eye is the amendment to the transition time between the two modes, which has been reduced for 2027 from 400ms to 300ms.
While it may appear to be a minor change, the reduction in transition time could have a significant effect on certain types of movable-wing mechanism, particularly more complex designs.
A penalty for rotating systems?
The reversible systems adopted by Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren could therefore be more heavily affected by this regulatory change, given the greater angular travel required during opening and closing compared with conventional systems, such as Mercedes' for example.
It cannot therefore be ruled out that some teams may be forced to modify their movable-wing systems, or fundamentally rethink them with 2027 in mind.
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