Formula 1 team bosses are warning the aerodynamic changes to be introduced in 2019 will result in a “step backwards” for performance.
Under new regulations narrowly passed earlier this year, the front and rear wings are to be simplified and widened with the DRS made more powerful among other tweaks in an effort to reduce the impact of turbulent air and allow for better racing.
However, it is a move against the recent trend of greater downforce and faster cars which has led to many lap records being broken since the start of 2017.
“We have still some doubts about the tyres and on the aero package,” Sauber boss Fred Vasseur was quoted by PlanetF1 as suggesting.
“If you are speaking about the aero regulations, it’s a huge step back. I think everyone is focused on recovering [the lost performance].
“I don’t know when we will recover and if we will be able to overshoot but it looks tricky.”
At the mid-season test in Hungary, Force India was one of two teams to trial the new front wings as seen in the main photo above and their team principal Otmar Szafnauer is also concerned about the loss of downforce.
“We did [a test] and it was a significant step backwards,” he explained. “We’ve got aggressive targets, I don’t know if we will be able to hit them.
“We’re trying to predict the future as to what we can find, but yeah, it was a massive step back for us.”
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Finally, Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost also called into question if the changes will achieve their intended purpose, more overtaking on track.
“I discussed it with the people in the wind tunnel and as it currently looks, they do not believe that overtaking will become much easier,” the Austrian stated.
“Therefore I’m not sure that this regulation change will end up where we expect – that overtaking will become much easier.
“I think that at the beginning of next season the teams will have reached a similar level on downforce as nowadays.”
