04/01/2024
NEWS STORY
Adrian Newey, arguably one of the most successful designers in the history of motorsport, insists that the expansion of active aero doesn't worry him.
While the engine regulations for 2026 have been agreed, there is still some way to go in terms of the rules relating to chassis.
The FIA's head of single seaters, Nikolas Tombazis has admitted that one of the things being considered is the introduction of further active aero elements beyond the current drag reduction system (DRS).
"It doesn't concern me," Newey tells Motorsport.com. "The more active aero is really to try to make up for a power unit that's lacking in energy.
"The active aero becomes essential to make up for the power unit that's lacking in energy," he adds. "But I don't think that's a bad thing at all. "Trying to drive for greater aerodynamic efficiency of the vehicle is clearly a good goal. And why should active aero not be part of that?"
Indeed, the Briton believes that active aero in F1 would prove beneficial for the car industry as a whole.
"It's become a part of it in road cars," he explains. "There's a huge amount of cars you see with spoilers lopping up and down on the boot lid and so forth. So, why not have that in racing? Active aero only got a bad name when wings were falling off back in the '60s. We're well beyond that now.
"F1 typically has been a good way to popularise things on road cars. If you look way back, things like disc brakes... but then slightly more recently carbon fibre sports cars, fake or real carbon fibre trim etc.
"All those things that a buyer in the high street wants an association with and manufacturers of course provide that association.
"So, active aero has to be the future of road cars, so I think it's appropriate that Formula 1 should be showing, displaying the power of it."
However, other than increasing costs and making the cars too complex, there are fears that active aero would compromise ongoing efforts to allow cars to follow one another more closely.