Ferrari to ’analyse’ front wing fluttering

A point of interest throughout the Indian grand prix weekend was Ferrari’s "fluttering" front wing.

It is believed the Italian team, with a firm eye on 2012, is publicly experimenting with the sort of legal wing flexibility that is being mysteriously achieved by Red Bull.

At high speed at the Buddh circuit, a prototype version on Felipe Massa’s car was often seen wildly oscillating; a phenomenon referred to in the aviation industry as "flutter".

"It does seem a bit exciting," chuckled Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn after seeing the television images.

Given Ferrari’s good pace in India, some observers wondered if the wing movement might even be intentional.

Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali played down that possibility.

"We will analyse the data now to see what causes this fluttering," he is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

An amused onlooker this weekend was Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s revered designer.

"I don’t think Ferrari had this effect in mind," he said. "Somehow it doesn’t look quite right. But if we are being used as a model, we take it as a compliment."