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F1 Adjustable Rear Wing May Be Tweaked

The adjustable rear wing might not be in Formula 1 to stay. According to Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren Mercedes boss and also head of the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA), the aforementioned innovation implemented by the FIA for the 2011 season may be adjusted over the course of the season, based on the data gathered from the early stages of the new campaign.

The new wing was ruled by the international body in order to meet the fans' demands of more overtaking in the series. However, the element has been harshly criticized by some drivers lately on safety grounds, as it is believed that combined with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) it may increase cockpit workload.

With reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel recently hinting that the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association) may go into strike unless the adjustable rear wing rules are changed, Whitmarsh insisted that the feature will actually be tested in the first few races of 2011, after which a definitive decision will be made on further development prospects.

We now have a system on the car by which we can make overtaking easier or more difficult,” said the FOTA president, while admitting that the “intricacies of when a driver may use the wing in 2011 is perhaps too complicated and not everyone will understand.”

Undoubtedly there will be the need for some fine-tuning. This is a test. If it is too complicated or it does not work, we can adjust it.”

With the introduction of both KERS and the new wing, some drivers raised concerns over the increasing number of controls that will be present on an F1 steering wheel in 2011. Safety is also in question here, as drivers will need to coordinate the activation or deployment of those systems and never get distracted from what happens on the track in the process.

Referring to the difficulties the modern F1 driver has to tackle while in the cockpit of a 2011-spec car, Felipe Massa insisted however that his Ferrari team has found a way to make it easier for the driver to be in control at all time.

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,” he said.

According to a report from the GMM news agency, the McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes drivers did not issue any recent complaints about the new wing (except for the vague rules regarding its activation/deactivation limits), Red Bull being the only teams strongly lobbying against it.
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