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Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn says F1 management “did not anticipate” Mercedes’ innovation, but thinks it maintains “the objective of the new rules”.
Mercedes stunned everyone on the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, when they revealed a radically redesigned version of their 2022 challenger.
Talking to Sky F1 about the innovative designs of the teams, Ross Brawn said Formula 1 management thinks they all “maintain the objective of the new rules”.
“It’s impossible to anticipate the creative scope of the teams,” the Briton said.
“Once they get the regulations, you’ve got a thousand engineers working on all the regulations and how they can use them.
“Some of the solutions, quite honestly, we never anticipated. I think we will go back in to investigate those solutions and make sure they maintain the objective of the new rules.
“I think they do. Our initial impressions are that there is nothing here we would be overly concerned about in terms of those objectives in the regulations. So it’s just fascinating to see such a wide range of solutions.
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“And what’s become a step-change for the teams is a lot of new cooler innovation, a lot of innovation in the heat exchanges and the radiators, which has given them more scope to create the designs they’ve got.”
Speaking directly about Mercedes’ innovative solution, Brawn said F1 management did not “anticipate” it.
“There’s no doubt that Mercedes concept is one we didn’t anticipate. It’s a very extreme interpretation of the regulation.
“Inevitably, there’s going to be a lot of debate about their interpretation. That’s what happens with new regulations.
“However hard you try to close off all the options – and believe me, we’ve closed off hundreds of them – innovation in Formula 1 is always extreme.
“So from our perspective, it’s largely about the objective of the regulations. From the teams’ perspective, they want to be sure no one has taken an interpretation they don’t feel is correct.
“So I think there is going to be a lot of debate in the next few days.”
Nonetheless Brawn found the innovation across the field to be impressive.
“This is the great thing about the innovation in Formula 1. It’s just keeping it within boundaries, sensible, that there are no compromises in terms of the objective, in terms of what we wanted to achieve.
“I think you have to be fair. When a team comes up with an idea, an innovation, a novelty, you shouldn’t be penalise it straight away.
“The regulator of the sport knows what’s going on and they’re okay with it so far. But, of course, a team may come in and raise an objection the FIA hasn’t considered, and then we’ve a problem.
“I’ve been through that many a time where your idea is okay, the FIA agree it’s okay, but a team comes in with another perspective that hasn’t been considered and an argument that’s valid.
“I feel there’s going to be a lot of discussion that’s valid,” Brawn concluded.
