Aston Martin urges the FIA ​​to consider adapting the F1 aero rules

The Silverstone-based team believes the downforce reduction policy changes for this season wrongly penalized teams who drive low-rake cars.

Together with Mercedes, the company believes that the cuts to the floor, diffuser and brake lines cost the teams with low rakes one second per performance lap compared to competitors with high rakes.

The outfits can’t change the calculation concept to make up for their losses, as this year has strict homologation rules that limit upgrades to essential auto parts.

Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer has expressed concern about the way the new rules have been implemented by the FIA, with two main issues at stake here.

The first is whether it was right for the FIA ​​to enforce the ground changes for safety reasons, or whether the F1 tire supplier Pirelli is making more robust rubber for this season that can cope better with higher levels of downforce anyway.

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal and CEO, Aston Martin F1

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

In addition, there are questions as to whether it was right that the F1 organization, as the holder of the commercial rights, should have been involved in the process of changing the safety rules.

Szafnauer is clear that for safety reasons the entire process should be decided exclusively by the FIA ​​and not influenced by third parties.

“The security change, this type of governance, is entirely up to the FIA,” he said.

Urging the influence F1 officials had on the proposed changes, Szafnauer said, “As I said, I think this kind of change in regulations is entirely up to the FIA. You are the experts. “

Szafnauer said he had planned talks with the FIA ​​and hoped the governing body would be able to respond in a way that would help make things fairer for the low-rake teams.

“I think the right thing is to have the talks with the FIA ​​and find out exactly what happened and why. Then we can see if something can be done to make it more just.

“I think this is the right thing to do. We as a team have to work hard to get back everything we can. At the same time, we should hold talks with the FIA ​​to make it a little fairer. “

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Szafnauer did not rule out taking legal action in the future if no compromise solution was found.

“I think we’ll get to that point after the discussions,” he said. “It’s hard to predict. I think the right thing is to see what can be done. “

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, whose team was also affected by the changes, did not want to be included in the debate at the moment.

“I think this is a sensitive topic as you need to have the full picture before you can comment,” he added to Sky.

“At this point, I don’t think it’s right to point a finger at someone or someone. So I don’t want to talk about it for now. “

On Szafnauer’s comments, Red Bull boss Christian Horner replied that Aston was “a little naive” if he expected changes to the rules to offset the effects on different vehicle concepts.

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