"They're almost self-policing each other" - Ross Brawn on F1 teams' swiftness in raising concerns

F1 teams are bound to self-police each other this season with regards to flexing of their aero wings, according to the sport's managing director, Ross Brawn.

With the reintroduction of ground effect as part of F1's new regulatory changes, concerns about flexing bodywork have also returned. This could affect the floors of the next generation of cars, which are much lower now, could see some flexing occur during high-speed situations.

Brawn confirmed that the FIA will be monitoring developments with close precision. He, however, expects teams to also be doing the same. During an interview, the 67-year-old said:

“With all the analysis that’s possible, we should be able to pretty quickly pick up on what the teams are doing, with the level of photography, video analysis and all sorts of things. The teams are really on top of each other with this aspect. If you remember all the fuss about the wings last season, they’re almost self-policing each other, so the moment there is an issue, they start to raise their flags. The FIA will very quickly know about any areas of concern, and I’m sure can deal with it, and has the capacity to deal with it overnight.”

The 'aeroelasticity' of the bodywork became a bone of contention between Red Bull and Mercedes towards the end of the F1 2021 season. Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from qualifying for the sprint race in Brazil after his rear wing was not in compliance with the FIA's regulations. This was brought to light after Max Verstappen touched the Briton's car in parc-fermé, a move that earned Red Bull a €50,000 fine.

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Rule changes were necessary to stop F1 from getting 'worse and worse', claims Ross Brawn

Ross Brawn has confessed that F1's regulatory changes were imperative to keep the sport from getting any worse.

In conversation with the media about the next generation of F1 cars during the first pre-season testing session in Barcelona, Brawn elaborated on the need for the rules that have been brought in ahead of the upcoming season. He said:

“Due to the nature of the regulations, inevitably when we start the season, we may see some scatter in the performance of the teams. I think it’s unavoidable, but I also think it was unavoidable to go that route. I think where we were, it was just going to get worse and worse. “We had a little hiatus with Covid because the teams were constrained in a way with what they were able to do. They had to use the same chassis and various other parts but there’s no doubt the cars would just continue getting worse and worse and worse.”

The new regulations have delivered on the promise of making it easier for cars to follow each other. It remains to be seen, however, how the changes will translate to race day scenarios once the season gets underway.