Chiefs at Red Bull headquarters in Milton Keynes are said to be unhappy at how their rivals’ front wings bend on straights and in fast corners, which are perceived to potentially be in breach of the current regulations.

Last year, Aston Martin were forced to downgrade their front wing because it was not attached to the nose rigidly enough, and subsequently lost a significant amount of pace after the change.

Red Bull are said to have asked Aston Martin to join them in appealing to the FIA, but they were not taken up on that approach.

If the flexing front wings of McLaren and Ferrari, which may have helped Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz create the desired downforce at corners, are not outlawed by the FIA then Red Bull have confirmed that they ‘will have to go the same way’.

Flexible front wings are not permitted in the current rules, but under a certain aerodynamic load it is accepted that wings will flex to a certain degree, with teams tasked with finding the perfect balance of flexibility without failing the various load tests the FIA conducts.

It remains to be seen whether McLaren and Ferrari could be penalised by the FIA if found guilty of breaching their regulations, or receive a similar request to Aston Martin 10 months ago when they were told to downgrade the wing.

Mercedes also had the same suspicion as Red Bull, but instead of challenging the FIA they opted to make an adjustment to become similar to Ferrari and McLaren, albeit within the legal limitations of how flexible a front wing can be.

The results of Red Bull’s FIA complaint could further unsettle the paddock and with McLaren and Ferrari aiming to usurp Christian Horner and Verstappen once again this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix, a close eye will likely be kept on their front wings in Barcelona.