Racing Point question if new aero regs are needed

Racing Point boss, Otmar Szafnauer, is hoping the current aerodynamic regulations can stay in place if teams can start showcasing “good racing” again.

Formula 1 was poised to hit the reset button on the sport in 2021 by introducing a raft of sporting and technical regulation changes that have long been in the pipeline.

But the global health crisis has seen those rules officially delayed until 2022 and it could be pushed back even further as teams continue to evaluate ways to save money whilst there is a lack of Formula 1 racing.

Szafnauer thinks it may prove to be a good idea to just scrap the new aero regulations completely if the current versions of the Formula 1 cars can naturally evolve to regularly provide good racing.

He told Formula 1.com: “If we show that we have very good racing with the cars we have now, it would be prudent to look at either delaying it [the new aero rules] by another year or looking at the whole concept again and saying what we have now isn’t that bad, it’s actually pretty good and if you don’t change the regulations, you end up saving money. In this day and age, we should be doing everything we can to try and spend less.”

Leading Szafnauer to that way of thinking is tied with Racing Point’s decision to rip up their own aero philosophy and follow the same path as their suppliers Mercedes.

The longer they can follow that path, the better for them.

“We have been looking at that [new aero] concept for a long time, mainly because we are constrained with the gearbox that we buy from Mercedes,” he added.

“We would buy that casing from them and use a totally different aero concept, which meant we are always compromised.

“So for a long time, we wanted to move to the Mercedes-type aerodynamic concept – not having a high rake, a lower rear end – but we just never had the financial resources to do it. We always had to carry things over.

“We knew when we made the decision that it would only be for one year, but now it looks like we will have a year-and-a-half.

“Hopefully we can extend that even further. The [2021] car concept was mainly to have closer racing.”

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