Brawn called the updated version of the W13 “impressive” and believes that the FIA has no problems with the path chosen by Brackley’s team for the time being.
However, he warned rivals could raise objections that could lead the FIA to take a closer look, which in the long run could trigger a rule change.
The FIA and Formula 1 helped formulate the new regulation, eager to guarantee the possibility that the cars would be able to stay close without any particular contraindications.
“I think there is no doubt that the Mercedes concept was not foreseen, it is a very extreme interpretation of the regulation,” said Brawn in an interview with F1 TV.
“And I think, inevitably, there will be a great debate about their interpretation. This is what happens with the new regulations. And as much as we try to close all options, and believe me, we have closed hundreds, as I say, l innovation in F1 is always extreme “.
“So from our point of view, it’s largely a question of whether this affects the goal of the regulations. From the team’s point of view, they want to make sure no one has taken an interpretation that they don’t think is correct. So I think that there will be a lot of debate in the coming days. “
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Brawn stressed that it is up to the FIA to judge the legality of each car, and suggested that there is no problem with Mercedes so far. However, this situation could change if any rivals object, highlighting a more specific concern.
“It’s impressive,” Brawn said of the W13. “And I think this is the greatness of F1 innovation, the difficulty is just to keep it within the boundaries that are reasonable, and there are no compromises as I said, in terms of the goal of what we wanted to achieve.”
“I think we have to be fair, I think that when a team comes up with an idea, with an innovation, with a novelty, it shouldn’t be penalized immediately.”
“But I think as you understand more … The FIA, as a regulator of the sport, really knows everything that happens, not like us as F1, because we are not allowed to have information. But the regulator knows what it is. happening. I think they agree for now. “
“But, of course, a team can come in and raise an objection that the FIA hadn’t considered. And then a problem arises. And I’ve been there many times, where your idea is okay, the FIA agrees.”
“Then a team comes up with a perspective that has never been considered and they have an argument that is valid. So I’m sure there will be a lot of discussion about it. But that’s impressive for a set of rules that everyone said were too prescriptive. We’re seeing many different solutions “.
Brawn made it clear that under the new F1 governance it is possible to change the technical regulation during the season, even if two teams disagree.
This option was designed into the system largely to curb any unexpected innovations, especially if they for example compromise the overall goal of allowing cars to follow each other more easily.
“I think one of the significant things we changed was the governance in F1,” said Brawn.
“Because in the past there was a need for everyone to agree for a change over the course of the season, now you can make a change with 80% of the teams in agreement, as long as the FIA and F1 are also in agreement. agreement”.
“I think that once the interpretation that Mercedes made is understood, then we can have a balanced view or we can take a view on its impact, what effect it will have, because the spirit of the rules is a gray area, very gray.” .
“In the end, you have to look at what the wording of the regulation is, because if you take it to court, that’s what you judge on. But that wording can be changed. With a majority of 80% of the teams, we can also change the wording “.
“So if something is missed, the teams are aware that this could happen. And this can happen during the season. So we have to see how it turns out.”
Ross Brawn, Managing Director of Motorsports, FOM, speaks to a Pirelli technician
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
Looking at the pitlane as a whole, Brawn pointed out that so far he hasn’t seen anything that could trigger such a rule change or clarification.
“It’s impossible to anticipate the creative reach of the teams. And once they have the regulations, you have a thousand engineers working on all the regulations, and they can use them.”
“So some of the solutions, honestly, we never anticipated. And I think we’ll go back to investigating those solutions, to make sure they keep the goal of the new rules.”
“I mean, our initial impressions are that there is nothing here that we would be overly concerned about in terms of the goals of the standards. And so it’s just fascinating to see such a wide range of solutions.”
“And what I think has become a change of pace for the teams is the innovation in cooling, innovation in heat exchangers and radiators, which has given them more possibilities to create the designs they have.”
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