28/12/2023
NEWS STORY
The FIA's single seater boss Nikolas Tombazis has revealed the reason for the delay in finding a solution to reducing the amount of spray thrown up in wet weather.
Following complaints from drivers about the increasing threat from spray during wet races, a test held at Silverstone in the summer involving Mercedes, and which saw the car running a guard over the rear wheels, proved inconclusive and as a result a further four days of testing have been set aside for next year.
"The test done in July with the help of Mercedes and also a bit of support from McLaren was... the covers were too small," admits Tombazis according to Speedcafe, "they didn't really cover enough of the wheels. We felt that they therefore didn't really answer the question whether that's a cure or not.
"What we still have a doubt about is what proportion of the problem is due to the overall diffuser and sucking the water from the track, which is something clearly this thing won't fix, and how much of it is because of the wheels," he adds. "We know both factors are quite significant.
"We're not aiming to solve everything, we know there will still be visibility issues, but we want to see what percentage we can cure by a very complete cover of the wheels. And then, if we see that's actually a tangible step forward, then we'll optimise that."
A further test was scheduled for November but this has been postponed until May 2024. The reason for the delay is money, with the teams calling on the FIA for more time the only other solution was to look outside the sport.
"That would have been really expensive," says Tombazis. "The teams asked whether they could delay the test to Spring in order to cut the cost down a bit, which is why we thought that's sensible.
"From a technical point of view, we would have preferred to have done it already, of course, but that was too expensive."
Even so, he admits that the testing is more about gathering data that finding a definitive solution to the issue.
"It's sort of information gathering to see if that is actually the right path," Tombazis explains. "Alternatively, if the test doesn't go well in the Spring, we may abandon that course and then have to rethink about what to do, I guess."
It is anticipated that the agreed solution will form part of the 2026 rules overhaul.