Mercedes had arrived at the United States Grand Prix in Austin with a new front wing design, but its use of provocative slot gap separators quickly garnered attention from its rivals.

The team’s opposition felt that the new fin-like variants carried much more aerodynamic intent in diverting airflow than the rules were supposed to allow.

Rivals suspected that the way the separators were built helped deliver key performance gains in better managing airflow over the car, rather than them being there to purely beef up the wing elements.

Mercedes argued, however, that the regulations only demanded that such slot-gap separators be ‘primarily’ for mechanical, structural or measurement reasons – so any secondary aero benefit was allowed.

Mercedes never intended on using the front wing at the US Grand Prix, as it didn’t have enough of them for spares or to cater for both drivers.

However, its appearance in the pitlane meant that, prior to the following week’s Mexican Grand Prix, there was an opportunity for rivals to lobby the FIA to not allow the design to run.

The FIA duly agreed that the fins did provide secondary aero benefits, so the brackets had to be removed before the wing was used for the first time at the Mexican Grand Prix.

In a bid to prevent teams from trying to pursue the concept in a different way that got around the ‘primary’ request in the regulations, the FIA has now tweaked the 2023 technical regulations.

A new draft of the rules that was approved by this week’s World Motor Sport Council demands that slot gap separator brackets must now provide a structural connection between the consecutive profiles, whilst their dimensions and connecting proximities have also been altered to reinforce the governing body’s original intent.

The sentence explaining about their ‘primary’ purpose not being aerodynamic has also been removed.

Mercedes never raced with the controversial separators on its front wing.

FIA ready to shorten DRS zones in F1 2023

Aston Martin 2023 F1 car will have “significant differences”

F1 2023 floor changes will cost teams half a second in lap time

How Ken Block came oh-so-close to a Formula 1 test

Why McLaren's low-profile F1 gem was its number one team boss choice

BRT Gen3 Mustang build breaks cover

Blanchard Racing Team has offered an early look at the build of its new Gen3-spec Ford Mustang Supercar.

Craft-Bamboo locks in Bathurst return

Craft-Bamboo Racing has confirmed it will return to Mount Panorama for a sixth appearance at the Bathurst 12 Hour next month.

Supercars Gen3 testing to continue as homologation nears

Supercars is set to undergo further testing with its Gen3 prototypes midway through this month as final homologation nears.

‘Heart surgery while running a marathon’: The challenge facing Williams’ next F1 boss

As the Formula 1 team principal merry-go-round unfolded in the final throes of 2022, one chair at the top table was left unclaimed heading into the new year.

Why the perception of Alonso's Aston Martin switch has transformed

OPINION: Fernando Alonso's switch from Alpine to Aston Martin on a multi-year deal for 2023 was a shock upon its announcement midway through last season. It's a move that has been questioned, given both Alonso's advanced stage in his career and Aston's underwhelming results. But the perception of this switch has seemingly changed to a more positive outlook

The tactical penalty problem F1 should consider

Grid penalties for changing Formula 1 engines and power unit elements has become part of a team's strategic toolbox, which the rules never intended. PAT SYMONDS considers whether F1 should be looking at an alternative

Motorsport.com writers' most memorable moments of 2022

The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022.

How Vettel put in the hard yards to exploit Red Bull's F1 potential

Was Sebastian Vettel born a winner or did Red Bull make him one? And at what point did the cheeky young rascal who loved quoting Monty Python become a ruthless force willing to win at all costs – even if that meant disobeying team orders? MATT YOUSON has spoken to the people who have been with him since the start…

How F1's new determined Dutchman got his long-awaited break

Nyck de Vries had almost given up on his dream of racing in Formula 1 when he got the call-up to stand in for Alex Albon at this year’s Italian Grand Prix, as he explains to OLEG KARPOV. But how pivotal was that in getting him a full-time ride with AlphaTauri next season?

The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right

Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past

Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives

It’s 30 years since Mansell won the Formula 1 world title and then headed off to do battle in America. Here are his best races – and the Briton’s memories of them

How a "baked in" F1 flaw consigned Mercedes to a year of recovery

After eight consecutive Formula 1 constructors’ titles, Mercedes was caught out by the new ground-effects regulations in 2022. That triggered a season of hard work and recovery, culminating in a famous 1-2 led by new signing George Russell in Brazil

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.