F1 | Ross Brawn does not think flexy wings' test accusations will succeed or affect the Azerbaijan GP
Formula One's managing director Ross Brawn spoke about the ongoing topic that began with Red Bull's rear wing flexibility on the Spanish GP and assured that the FIA is making the correct decisions regarding the test to prove these car parts' legality.
The polemic involving the flexibility of rear wings in this Formula 1 season keeps on making noise as Ross Brawn took the break between championship events 5 and 6 to talk about some team's accusations and defend the test set to be made on Azerbaijan’ GP week.
As written on Formula One's technical regulations Article 3.8: “all components influencing a car's aerodynamic performance must be rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car and remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car".
Mercedes and teams such as Aston Martin and McLaren are defying the FIA’s decision to take the test to June 15th to be able to give smaller teams time to adapt their designs, which means Red Bull's original design will do the rounds and continue giving the alleged advantage to the Milton-Keynes-based team for at least other two races, with the championship battle as tight as it is now. Ross Brawn answered as reported by ESPN.com, with just less than a month to go into the implemented tests.
"No, I don't think so. I think the FIA have been pretty consistent with their approach, I'd be amazed if the stewards go against the opinion of the FIA," Said Formula One's managing director when asked if he was worried about the protest having an impact on the next F1 event at Baku.
"I think this is probably flexi rear wing version 27 [in Formula One's history]. In 40 years of motor racing, I've been through this many times,” he added.
Brawn, who is known as one key part of the early-2000’s Ferrari success, said the FIA had faced similar challenges in the past and so proceeded with an anecdote with former Williams’s technical director.
"I can remember Patrick Head jumping on our front wing in parc ferme because he considered that it wasn't stiff enough. He wanted to demonstrate to Charlie [Whiting] that it wasn't stiff enough, so he actually stood on it and bounced up and down to demonstrate how flexible it was.”
Brawn took the chance to defend the FIA and its decisions, saying that the new tests are perfectly well managed and that there’s no such deal as giving Red Bull free advantage for competition.
"There are a set of FIA tests and that's the only way we have been able to determine the limits of what you can do. If you pass the tests and some teams don't like it, the FIA can look at it, say 'fair point' and stiffen the tests and do different tests, so it's perpetual.”
"I honestly don't believe there is any case for going in a different route to solve the problem, because I don't know how you quantify it.”
"One person's view of it being too flexible is another person's view of it being OK, and that's why we have the tests. If you put a mechanism in there or a hinge in there, I agree that's not correct.”
"But within the normal compliance of the structure, I don't see a problem."
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