Ocon summoned as Haas rear wing fails FIA deflection test after Baku qualifying
Esteban Ocon’s Saturday in Baku has gone from scrappy to serious. The Haas driver has been called to the stewards after his car failed the FIA’s rear-wing “plane tip” deflection test in post-qualifying checks at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer flagged the issue and referred it to the stewards under Article 3.15.17 of the 2025 Technical Regulations, the rule that governs how much the rear wing is allowed to flex under load. The short version: the measurements on Ocon’s No. 31 Haas exceeded the limit. If the car is found non-compliant, disqualification from qualifying is on the table — that’s the usual penalty for a clear technical breach.
This specific test is new for 2025. The FIA introduced a sharper rear-wing flex crackdown at the Chinese Grand Prix, then tightened it further in Spain. The key thresholds are:
– At the tips of the rear wing mainplane, when 75kg of vertical load is applied to either side, the change in the slot gap between mainplane and flap must not vary by more than 0.5mm.
– From the Spanish Grand Prix onwards, additional vertical deflection limits apply: no more than 10mm with load on both sides and 15mm with load on one side, each with a small permitted tolerance.
Ocon’s car failed the plane-tip element of those checks. In plain terms, the wing moved more than allowed when the FIA pushed on it.
Why this matters in Baku is obvious to anyone who’s watched a slipstream train here: the place is all long straights and low drag. A wing that flexes down too much at speed can trim drag and pick up free top-end. The FIA’s message this year has been blunt—if a component moves, it has to move within the numbers, and those numbers are now tiny.
Haas, for their part, have been grinding away in a ferocious midfield, and Ocon’s qualifying was already a hard day’s work. A technical summons at this stage is the last thing they needed. The team will have a chance to present their case and any mitigating factors to the stewards, but the rules on deflection are black-and-white by design. It’s compliance or bust.
What happens next:
– The stewards will hear from Haas and review Bauer’s report and the measurement data.
– If the car is ruled non-compliant, exclusion from the qualifying classification is a likely outcome. Any further penalties would depend on what the stewards conclude about cause and intent.
– Should Ocon be thrown out of qualifying, he’d typically be permitted to start from the pit lane with the wing brought into conformity.
This rear-wing saga is part of the broader 2025 clampdown that’s already caught engineers’ attention. Teams have chased ever more clever “give” in the wing stack for years; the FIA has responded with tougher tests, smaller tolerances, and more targeted procedures. Today’s check is the latest of those. In a field this tight, a half millimetre can change everything — including your grid slot.
We’ll update when the stewards publish their decision. For now, Ocon and Haas face a nervous wait before Sunday’s run down to Turn 1.
