2021 rules named “regressive” and “nasty”: the first impressions from the F1 paddock
The first words from engineers and technical chiefs aren’t pleasing and generous on the new package of technics direction that championship is going to keep for 2021
The new set of rules just released opened the discussions and the comparisons between the actual and the future rulebook.
Patrick Head, in his role of consultant of Williams and as a former technical director at Grove, said to Autosport that "The engineering side, it's regressive really, unfortunately”. For him the main matter is that "ultimately motorsport has become far too expensive. And the difference between the top teams and the teams lower down is too big. We need to have more teams racing together”.
His is far from being a critic to the committee that created the new ‘environment’ for the new chapter of single seater, as "the people involved have done a good job”; but he "wouldn't say it's unfair to say it's been dumbed down, because definitely the cleverer engineers will find ways and means of making a difference, but there are certainly not quite the freedoms that [there] were when I was more involved"
Another point of view came from the Technical Director of Racing Point, Andrew Green.
"There are areas that could do with being freed up around the front wing" explained; "around the front of the car I think it's incredibly restrictive to the point where it's really going to hurt the handling of the car”.
The problem on the front "it's going to be a real nasty piece of work to drive. I think it's something that if they allowed a little more freedom would allow us to sort that out, but still retain the intent of the ground effect car and low following wake."
But apart from the designing liberties, the Briton engineer focused its analysis on the aerodynamics of the cars: "aerodynamically, it's going to be quite unstable. I don't think that's a nice thing to have. You want cars that are a bit more predictable, so that drivers can attack, be sure what they've got underneath them, they know what's going to happen, they can drive the car at the limit knowing that it's stable at the limit. From what I see at the moment none of those statements are true for 2021”.
And finally, the claim of the model showed to the media at Austin: "what's presented as a 2021 model by F1, and what's written in the regulations, are two different things”.
That’s the preamble of very hot “tech-winter”.
