Formula One`s governing body is likely to impose tougher tests on front wings in response to complaints about the ones used by Ferrari and championship leaders Red Bull.
|Last Updated: Aug 02, 2010, 08:36 PM IST|Source: Bureau
London: Formula One`s governing body is likely to impose tougher tests on front wings in response to complaints about the ones used by Ferrari and championship leaders Red Bull.
McLaren and Mercedes both urged the International Automobile Federation (FIA) to clarify the rules after Red Bull were utterly dominant in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying at the weekend.
The teams argue that photo and video evidence suggests the wings are literally bending the rules by flexing at speed while passing static tests.
Red Bull brushed off the complaints, with team boss Christian Horner dismissing them as just the latest in a litany of gripes this season, but Mercedes principal Ross Brawn expected new tests to be introduced at the next race in Belgium.
"I understand that there may be some changes in the way the tests are done, but obviously the cars involved pass the current tests," he told reporters at the Hungaroring.
"The argument is that if they pass the current test, then the tests are not correct.”
"You can clearly see on the track that there is quite a dramatic difference between the cars, which is part of the game," added the former Ferrari technical director. "I`ve been there myself so what normally happens is that the FIA improve the tests and I think that is what is going to happen."Latest Obsession
Horner told reporters after his championship leading Australian driver Mark Webber won in Hungary, his fourth victory of the season, that the focus on front wings was just the latest obession by rivals whose own cars were off the pace.
"This week it`s the front wing, next week maybe it will be the rear," he said.
"So far it`s been active suspension, it`s been the diffuser, other suspension components, so it`s a compliment to the technical team. They are doing a fantastic job to produce a car as quick as we have seen."
Webber agreed: "We`re more than happy with what we have on the car and we`re sleeping well at night," he said.
"You should never penalise things that are ingenuous and people that are doing a good job, and that`s sometimes the case."
The next two races, once Formula One returns from a short summer break, are the last two in Europe and two of the fastest on the calendar -- Belgium and Italy.Both will reward engine power and should play to the strengths of those -- such as McLaren -- who have a fully-functioning `F-duct` that allows a driver to stall the rear wing on the straights and create more grip.
Webber even suggested that Renault-powered Red Bull were at an engine disadvantage to others and maybe should be allowed to rectify that, an idea guaranteed to fall on deaf ears given that team`s current form.
"We know we don`t have the most powerful engine," said the Australian.
"When we go to a track where there are not many straights, the car is good because we`ve had to try incredibly hard to get the car performing in this type of situation, so we would love parity with the engine.
"It`s not a one way street with this stuff you know."
Bureau Report
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