Much like last year’s double diffuser debacle, two teams have asked the FIA for clarification on McLaren’s rear wing. There is a good description of the system in this thread from our forums.

Red Bull Racing’s team boss Christian Horner has stated that his team, along with Ferrari, are looking at the design of the system, and asking to ensure that it’s legal. The design of the system bypasses the slot-gap separator rules introduced years ago that were put in place to ensure that the rear wing can not be stalled on high speed straights, therefore reducing drag, allowing for much higher top speeds. McLaren has been topping the trap speeds during all 4 weeks of winter testing.

McLaren’s response? It’s perfectly legal. The team has even talked to Ferrari, and they’re not aware of any lodged protests. Regardless, the FIA has confirmed that at this time, they have no concerns over the car, and have accepted McLaren’s invitation to view their 2010 challenger, the MP4-25 up close.

Let’s hope that this will be handled a lot better than last year, where BrawnGP, Toyota and Williams were running their double diffusers for the first 3 races under protest, and potentially, under the threat of disqualification months after the races are wrapped up. Stay tuned for updates.

*update* Charlie Whiting, the FIA’s technical delegate did not visit the McLaren headquarters as expected on Friday. As it turns out, his flights out of Brazil were delayed.