Adjustable rear wings make Formula 1 “too predictable” – Stefano Domenicali
Ferrari had a great 2010 season after the team finished in 3rd place in the constructors’ standings and their top driver Fernando Alonso finished in 2nd place in the drivers’ standings just 4 points short of the 2010 Formula 1 world
champion Sebastian Vettel. The team could have finished in a better place in the constructors’ standings if Felipe Massa coped up with the top running drivers and scored some good points.
The team has its hopes high for the 2011 Formula 1 season and they plan to launch their new car on the 28th January that is 3 days before the first pre-season test session in Valencia.
However, Ferrari’s team boss Stefano Domenicali believes that since the FIA made adjustable rear wings legal for the 2011 Formula 1 season, Formula 1 might become “too predictable”. Adjustable rear wings increase the chances of overtaking allowing drivers
to chase their rivals more easily.
Adjustable wings shed downforce after which the car gains a straight-line speed advantage. According to the official FIA rules and regulations report, it will be restricted to just one straight on each circuit and it will be in use only when a chasing car
is within a second of its rival.
“I wonder, will this system make the duels more spectacular or too predictable? At the moment I'm a bit sceptical, but I hope to be wrong. I hope that the TV feed finds a way to show on screen who has activated the mechanism and who hasn't, otherwise you
won't understand a thing anymore,” Domenicali said.
At Ferrari’s annual media event “Wrooom”, Domenicali claimed that their rivals Red Bull Racing Team broke the Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) and spent more money than it is supposed to on their 2010 chassis.
He also announced that he is about to stand down as FOTA’s vice president in the near future.
“This [the RRA] is between the teams. The FIA is not involved. So, a violation will not affect the results [in the 2010 championship]. If a team has spent too much, the agreement provides that it has to spend less in subsequent years,” he stated.
He also addressed the assumption that his team has the biggest budget of all allowed for their chassis according to the RRA. It is believed that the team used an estimate of $393 million on its 2010 chassis that is bigger than the rest of the teams on the
grid. However, Domenicali believes that such figures are not a “fair representation” as Ferrari has to deal with an engine department fund as well.
“Red Bull and McLaren spend more money on the construction of the chassis,” he added, explaining that his rivals "buy" an engine while Ferrari builds its own.
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