01/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Following the forthcoming two-day tyre test, Silverstone will see Mercedes and McLaren trial a new wheel arch designed specifically for wet weather.
The move follows the events of the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps when heavy rain meant the event had to be abandoned with no actual racing laps completed.
Consequently, at last November's meeting of the World Motor Sport Council it was revealed that plans were in place for wheel arches that could be fitted to cars in extreme weather conditions in order to allow racing to proceed safely.
"Driver feedback has suggested that there has been reduced visibility in extremely wet conditions with this latest generation of cars, which is a key determinant on starting, or needing to suspend sessions," said the FIA following the meeting.
"Therefore, the FIA commenced a study to define a package of parts aiming to suppress the spray generated when running in wet conditions."
Mercedes and McLaren will trial the wheel arches at Silverstone on 13 July, using the circuit's national track which will be artificially soaked for the test. The FIA will film the test in order to see how the arches help and also determine the exact manner in which droplets of water fall from them as the sport seeks to discover the extent to which the diffuser creates spray, the sport's governing body noting that it will study "the contribution of surface water picked up through the underfloor tunnels to understand its significance".
"We only think it's going to be something that gets used on a couple of occasions a year, maybe three, that sort of thing," said the FIA's single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis in December. "We don't want it to be that every time there's a drop of rain, then suddenly you have to fit these things.
"Spa in 2021 left scars on the sport because it was very unfortunate circumstance," he added. "It would have been ten times worse I think if we had gone all the way to Japan and had to pack up and come back. We really need to avoid that.
"We have so many people watching, spectators paying tickets, teams travelling all over the world, and then to suddenly say we can't race is not very responsible of us."
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