Adjustable wing innovation to be tweaked – Whitmarsh

Martin Whitmarsh has admitted that the debut of adjustable rear wings in F1 this season is “a test”.

The McLaren boss, who is also the chairman of the formula one teams alliance FOTA, said the controversial innovation was put in place due to fans’ feedback about wanting to see more overtaking during grands prix.

But some figures are concerned that passing aided by the wing will be too artificial, while a group of drivers are worried that – combined with the return of KERS – their increasing cockpit workload is becoming a safety issue.

German reports also quote Whitmarsh as confessing that the intricacies of when a driver may use the wing in 2011 is “perhaps too complicated and not everyone will understand”.

“There are many opinions,” he acknowledged.

Officials have left open the door to tweaking the system later this season based on the initial races.

“We now have a system on the car by which we can make overtaking easier or more difficult,” explained Whitmarsh.  “Undoubtedly there will be the need for some fine-tuning.

“This is a test,” he added.  “If it is too complicated or it does not work, we can adjust it.”

It is believed that Red Bull is one of the teams campaigning hardest against the wing, with Whitmarsh confirming that his drivers, as well as those at Ferrari and Mercedes, are not complaining.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa confirmed: “Together with the engineers, we came up with some good methods to be able to operate these systems without affecting your concentration and your visibility of the track without taking your eyes off the road.”

© RIF | GMM