Although F1 is clamping down on flexi wings at the Spanish Grand Prix, Christijan Albers is adamant the “whole field” will line up on the Australian Grand Prix grid with wings that flex to today’s allotted 15mm.

And that includes Red Bull – despite De Telegraaf‘s Erik van Haren questioning Red Bull’s use of flexi wings.

Flexi wings in Australia? The ‘whole field’ will use them

Last season Red Bull and Ferrari questioned the front wings of Mercedes and McLaren, while even the latter’s rear wing courted controversy when Oscar Piastri’s MCL38 appeared to sport a so-called ‘mini-DRS’ system at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he held off Charles Leclerc on the straights.

It had Christian Horner saying if Red Bull’s rivals were within the legal parameters then Red Bull too would go down that route.

“Is something acceptable, or is it not?” said the team principal. “If it’s deemed to be acceptable, then obviously that encourages you to pursue similar solutions yourself.”

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But while nothing was done last season, the FIA announced in January that it would clamp down on flexi wings and reduce the permitted flex down from 15mm to just 10mm.

The revised TD018 will come into play in Australia for the rear wings, while the front wings only have to adhere to the new tests at race nine, the Spanish Grand Prix.

Horner admitted he was perplexed by the timing, telling media including PlanetF1.com: “I think it’s good that they’ve addressed it.

“The front wing gets changed at race nine. Why nine? I don’t know, but it is what it is. It’s the same for everyone.

“It just means that you’ve got a pre-race nine and a post-race nine set of issues to deal with, which inevitably will drive cost.”

With that in mind, Dutch reporter Van Haren claimed Red Bull had not bolted a flexi front wing onto the RB21 during pre-season as they would not adopt it.

That, however, was scoffed at by his fellow De Telegraaf pundit Albers.

“That’s not true, because I can see it [Red Bull’s wing] bending very clearly on screen,” said the former F1 driver.

“We can all be very innocent, but the whole field is driving with flexi wings. Otherwise you can’t keep up.

“Only in some teams it is more developed than in others.

“The advantage can be with McLaren or Ferrari, for example, but the advantage can also be with the Haas team but we don’t pay attention to all that.

“They must have had a guideline somewhere. And if they stick to that, they stick to the regulation.

“They have to go along. It’s as simple as that. The information that McLaren and Ferrari get, Red Bull also gets. There is nothing exciting about that. If they don’t do it, they’ll shoot themselves in the foot.”

The former F1 driver says there’s no point “whining” as the FIA have laid out the parameters and it is up to the teams – including Red Bull – to find the line.

“It’s up to the FIA to decide whether you can get away with it,” he said.

“Let’s be honest, I think Red Bull, along with a few other teams, is one of the first teams to start with the flexi wings. Now they’ve moved away a bit and now they’re whining.”

The FIA explained the decision for the timing of the staggard testing when they confirmed the change from 15mm of permitted flex to 10mm.

“This phased approach allows teams to adapt without the need to discard existing components unnecessarily,” said motorsport’s governing body.

“These adjustments are aimed at further refining our ability to monitor and enforce bodywork flexibility regulations, ensuring a level playing field for all competitors to promote fair and exciting racing.”

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