For the most part of the off season, most of the talk has been about the introduction of the Moveable Rear Wings. A regulation change designed to increase overtaking and "the show". While the FIA initially said they'd only be useable when the driver is within 1 second of the car in front, the regulations were still a bit sketchy on how they'd actually work. Today a fascinating article by Autosports Jonathan Noble has shed some light. The FIA has announced that while they're open to fine tuning the rules on how the wings, the initial plan is for a designated 600mt overtaking zone on the main straight at each track. There'll be a timing zone set up in braking area of the corner before that main straight and if at that timing zone, the car behind is within a second, he may use his moveable rear wing in the overtaking zone.
Simple, right?
Well, not so much. Comments from the drivers after the first two days of testing suggest it may not be the saving grace the FIA hope it is. Lotus Renault GP driver Robert Kubica said yesterday that he doesn't think the speed gained by the device will be significant enough to allow much overtaking, and that by the time you're close enough to attempt an overtake you'll be to close to the braking zone of the next corner to actually get past the car in front. With similar comments was AT&T WilliamsF1 driver Rubens Barrichello, who was concerned about how much time the driver was having to spend with his eyes off the road with all the buttons on the steering wheel now. These are two very experienced Formula 1 drivers talking, so we can safely assume they know what they're talking about.
With the restricting of the wings to these designated "overtaking zones", it also raises another concern. Will drivers be somewhat hesitant to chance an overtaking move at other points on the track? They'd be risking running wide and perhaps losing that precious half second that could cost them the chance to use the rear wing on the straight. It could be the irony of something designed to increase overtaking and excitement actually taking away from it. Why would a driver chance an overtake on a corner when if they're simply patient and careful enough, they can attempt it on the much safer main straight?
And in addition to this, with the dedicated "overtaking zones", drivers may see them as their one and only chance of getting past a car with similar speed. The 600 metres is the last 600 metres of the straight leading into the corner, but the rear wing closes immediately when the driver applies the brakes. So could this in turn lead to more reckless/dangerous moves in these corners and cause more accidents? Wisely the wing cannot be used in the early laps of the race, but if two drivers are scrapping it out for 10th and that last championship point on the last lap of the race, there's a chance the driver behind may throw his car into the corner in an attempt to get past, knowing full well the driver behind won't get a chance to use his rear wing again. There is the legitimate possibility that confining the strong overtaking chances to just one small section of the track that drivers may be forced to take unnecessary risks to utilise the chance.
While the FIA must be applauded for innovation and thinking outside the box, the concept does present several dangers. And the announcement of these overtaking zones only further adds to them. The FIA has declared their intention to run with these regulations for the first 4 races and then reassess. Turn 1 at Australia is notorious as an accident prone corner. Add in the differing speeds and the need for a driver to get past at that point, and there is the possibility we could be in for an accident heavy first 4 races which could force a reassessment of the rules.
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