Pending to confirm the expected evolution on the track once the new cars star in next year’s preseason, Tombazis and Brawn are already prepared to make last minute adjustments to controversial solutions by the teams.
The main objective of the regulatory revolution that will finally be implemented in Formula 1 starting next year became very clear when the top managers of the category got down to work on its drafting: promote track fights with single-seaters that could be pursued from closer quarters without losing a huge amount of downforce in doing so, largely due to the dirty air expelled from the rear by today’s cars.
However, the FIA has come to the fore as soon as it presents the world with the first full-size prototype of an F1 car from 2022 to warn that this improvement will not be something we will see immediately. «We hope to see closer races, but maybe not from the first race, because Someone may be right with the new rules and someone else will be wrong», Warned Nikolas Tombazis, main technical manager of the organ that governs the ‘Great Circus’.
“Even so, we hope to see a closer level of competitiveness between cars very soon and that they can be followed more closely. This will not happen overnight, obviously we will study the solutions proposed by the teams and we will continue working on it to improve, although we believe that over time the races will improve considerably, “added Tombazis.
“It’s not so much about favoring overtaking per se, but about how close they are when they fight. Being able to pursue each other from closer, fight throughout the race. That’s what we tried do, acting mainly on the aerodynamics “, concluded the Greek president. In tune with these thoughts, Ross Brawn contributed his vision of this great change.
This is the beginning of a new era; the competitiveness of these cars will be vital for the future of Formula 1 »
“This is the beginning of a new era, a new philosophy, a new culture in which the competitiveness of these cars is going to be vital for the future of Formula 1. Why do we do it? Because we want to entertain the fans, involve them and that more followers are interested in this sport. It’s a unique new chapter in our sport, the regulations have evolved to make Formula 1 the greatest racing spectacle and to bring it to the forefront of the world, “reflected the F1 sporting director aloud.
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Despite promoting a healthy environment of collaboration between teams and management, Brawn is perfectly aware of the intention of each and every one of the members of the grid to find a loophole in the regulation that allows them to perform above their rivals. This was evident when many teams, internally, assured that their cars did not resemble the one presented at Silverstone.
“We will monitor what the teams have done and incorporate it into our model to ensure that we do not compromise any of the objectives”, Brawn guaranteed. “Part of the feedback from the teams on the initial proposals was that there weren’t enough opportunities to get a performance advantage. As a result of that, we have opened some areas. Pat Symonds, Jason Somerville, and Nikolas Tombazis took a closer look at what we could do, and as a result, we opened our hands a bit. ‘
«If all this has caused a slight visual variation, it’s encouraging. However, if, on the contrary, it compromises the objectives, we will adjust everything so that they are not harmed “, the Briton closed.