McLaren’s engineering director Paddy Lowe expects the moveable rear-wings to be a hit, describing the new regulation as ‘exciting’.
Despite many skeptics, including Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali whom was unsure of how well the system would work until tested, Lowe expects it to produce positive results in the races although he did admit the FIA may have to tweak the regulation until it is perfected.
“I think there aren’t any grey areas to be clarified because the rule is clear and has been written down and stated,” he said during a Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes phone-in.
“What’s less clear is how that will pan out and what the effect will be in a race. I think that is something we are going to have to see and explore through the season. It could be quite exciting I think.”
Discussing the possible issues in more detail, Lowe believes the FIA will have to alter the allowance and where the system can be utilised to ensure it isn’t overused or used incorrectly.
“The one control that the FIA has, is for each race circuit, they can set the point of deployment along the straight that the driver can first press the button,” he explained.
“So, for instance, you might be able to press it for the last 300 metres of the main straight until the braking point. I think the FIA have it within their power to manage the situation so that the authority of the system is making sense. That may take one or two races to settle down, but they can lengthen or shorten that amount of straight on a race-by-race basis.”
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