The International Automobile Federation (FIA) introduced the aforementioned wings for the 2011 season of Formula 1 in order to boost overtaking, by allowing the trailing car to pass more easily when within one second from a competitor. However, recent worries were raised over the possibility that the difference in speed between the two cars, once the wing is activated, could lead to accidents such as the one that occurred between Mark Webber and Heikki Kovalainen in Valencia, in 2010.
During the 2010 European Grand Prix, Webber's much faster RB6 hit the rear of Kovalainen's car in an overtaking attempt and was thrown into the air, flipped and landed upside down.
According to reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, these concerns have already been discussed within the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) recently, but no feedback has yet been expressed by the FIA. Under the circumstances, a strike will apparently not be ruled out by the drivers, starting perhaps from the very race in Melbourne this weekend.
“Most drivers agreed that it could be, in certain scenarios, a safety issue and that's what still needs to be seen to,” said Vettel, according to The Mirror. “If it's a really bid issue, then the most important thing is that the drivers are all together.”
“If we all agree on something, then we can be very powerful. We can say, 'Okay, we are not racing'. That doesn't necessarily mean that we will go on strike. We'll try to find a solution with the FIA first,” he added.
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