FEBRUARY 13, 2019

Drivers not sure 2019 rule changes will work

Two F1 drivers are not so sure the aerodynamic rule changes for 2019 will make a big difference.

Drivers, Brazilian GP 2018
© RV Press

Two F1 drivers are not so sure the aerodynamic rule changes for 2019 will make a big difference.

Max Verstappen's bosses at Red Bull, Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko, say the changes including new front wings are little more than a waste of $15 million per team.

"It's supposed to improve overtaking," Verstappen said. "There are other little things in addition to the front wings, but I do not think it will work so well.

"I think if all the teams do well with the new regulations, we should see a hierarchy similar to what we know," the Dutchman is quoted by France's Auto Hebdo.

"It will not improve the races because the cars have too much downforce and they are too wide. But we know there are tracks that are good for overtaking and that should stay the same," Verstappen added.

Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg agrees, saying all the teams are busily feeding computer models into simulators to test the 2019 rule changes.

"Honestly, I don't know if the new rules are a chance for a team like us, or if the top teams will move even further away because they have more resources," said the German.

"It can go either way," Hulkenberg added.

(GMM)