“Increasing the slot gap between the main element of the rear wing and the top flap will reduce drag, and as a consequence, downforce,” Vasselon told us. “By pressing on a button, a mechanism will lift the front portion of the flap, called the leading edge, around a pivot point located at the rear section, called the trailing edge. This will cause the airflow to separate. It will reduce drag and increase top speed of the car by something like 7 to 13 km/h.”
Rear wing regulations at present require a minimum slot gap of 10 mm between the main plane and the flap of the rear wing. The regulations governing the MRW will allow a maximum 50-mm slot gap between the two main planes when the MRW is activated. The MRW will only be activated upon the driver pressing a special button on his steering wheel, and the wing will stay in its low-drag position until the driver applies the brakes. It will also return to default position if the driver crosses another timing loop having already passed his rival on the track (at which point the overtaken driver will have the MRW available for use).
“The timing system will constantly calculate the gap between two cars out on the track,” Vasselon said. “When there will be less than a second between the two, the FIA officials will allow the car running behind to activate the MRW and go into a low-drag configuration to attempt a passing move. The first few races of the year will be trials-and-errors. If passing is too easy with this device, the FIA will easily be able to modify the settings to make passing a little more difficult. Same thing if passing is still too difficult. The beauty of the MRW is that it is fully and easily adjustable.” During qualifying, there will be no restriction on the use of the MRW; it will be free to use whenever and wherever a driver chooses. “This is because the teams must select the right gear ratios in the gearbox. If the top gear is not changed, the engine will hit the rev limiter when the car goes into low-drag configuration with the MRW. To avoid this, the teams will need to install a taller top gear,” Vasselon added.
At the start of the race, the MRW will be disabled (default position) for the first two laps. The reason for this is to stop pole position being a disadvantage, as otherwise the pole sitter would be the only driver not allowed to use the MRW on the first lap. The MRW will also be disabled for the first lap or two following a safety car period, for the same reason that the lead driver would be unfairly disadvantaged. Recent Articles
|
Racing Multimedia
Recommendations |