20/05/2016
NEWS STORY
Whilst fortune smiled on Bernie Ecclestone last weekend, eliminating both Mercedes on the first lap and giving the sport a history making teenage superstar, going forward it is widely feared that from Monaco onwards it will be 'business as usual' with the Silver Arrows sweeping all before and Red Bull, perhaps Ferrari, enjoying the remaining crumbs.
Consequently, with a major overhaul of the rules next year, it comes as no surprise to hear that some teams are already shifting focus, after just five rounds of this season, to next.
"We have got stuff planned – aerodynamics – until Hungary definitely, maybe even beyond that," Williams technical boss Pat Symonds told Motorsport.com. "But our focus is moving a little bit to some of the suspension areas and things like that, which can be carried over (to 2017). The design philosophy will carry over, even if the components will not necessarily. So there is a fair bit going on in that area too.”
At this week's test in Barcelona the Grove outfit tried a unique double wing at the rear, which though illegal under the current regulations, allowed the team to understand better the effects of increased downforce expected next year on the car and tyres.
Earlier this week, Force India admitted that it too will soon be switching focus to 2017. Though it introduced a number of updates in Spain, second only to McLaren in terms of quantity, Bob Fernley told Autosport: “We're already doing some work on it now, as I'm sure everybody is. It's just a matter of when we do the full switchover, and that is probably not far away."
All that's needed is for Red Bull and Ferrari to follow suit and we can settle down to a long, hot, silver summer with only the outbreak of hostilities between Lewis and Nico to keep us amused.