The Formula 1 community has overreacted to the uproar surrounding McLaren's 'mini DRS' rear wing controversy, according to a leading FIA official.
Red Bull, with Ferrari's behind-the-scenes backing, lodged three protests with the FIA about McLaren's flexible rear wing used in Baku.
The FIA reportedly suggested to McLaren that a good way forward would be to make some voluntary adjustments to the design for future races, a solution the team accepted.
Following Lando Norris securing pole on Saturday, McLaren boss Andrea Stella commented on the rear wing saga, saying, "For us it is just good news that our opponents are distracted by these sorts of things."
He added, "Because that means they are not focusing on themselves. The way they are talking about it is a red herring. The wing was always legal. This is not a subject at all, it's just a story."
Stella continued, "We'll keep bringing upgrades. That's what we do. We let the performance on the track speak for itself."
Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA's single-seater director, also came to McLaren's defence on Saturday.
"The wing passed all the tests and satisfied what was written in the technical directives," he told Sky Italia.
"It did not deserve this exaggeration."
Commenting on how the FIA tried to discreetly manage the situation, Tombazis added, "All the teams, without exception, even those who are making the loudest noises now, have sometimes benefited from this approach."
Tombazis elaborated, "In my opinion, it was the right thing to do in a sporting way and did not deserve this exaggeration. Then again, it is natural because the championship is very tight."
He further explained, "In Baku, the sun was positioned in such a way that highlighted this phenomenon more. This wasn't the case in Monza and Spa, where no one noticed it. Maybe if someone had approached us, we would have acted a little sooner."
Meanwhile, despite Norris starting from pole, Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko expressed relief that Max Verstappen was able to recover from the team's recent performance struggles, qualifying second in Singapore.
"Yesterday we couldn't even dream of this," Marko told ORF.
"Free practice was a disaster. In the end, Max was a bit unlucky in qualifying because he had to lift off the gas."
Marko added, "I think he would have had enough for pole position. But anyway, Norris' starts have certainly not been convincing, so Max will try to take advantage of that."
"If I was Norris and I knew that of the seven times I started first I had not managed to keep the lead once, that would be on my nerves too," Marko said with a grin.
