The images of Ferrari on the Fiorano track are destined to go around the world. The Maranello team in fact returned to work on Thursday 9 May on the circuit located a few hundred meters from the factory, for a very peculiar test: under the watchful eye of the Federation’s experts, Cavallino has in fact tested the new “sprayguard” on the fieldthe mud flaps designed to improve visibility and make racing possible even in the event of heavy rain.
THE SPLASH FLAPS
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It is for this reason that two red cars were seen at the same time at Fiorano: on one side the SF-24 (still with the blue livery used in Miami) without splash guards and on the other the 2022 F1-75 equipped with the new components designed by Fia: the images of the test are eloquent, unusual and in some ways historical, considering that the sprayguards are real fairings that are almost complete with all four wheels which should direct the water spray so as not to compromise the visibility of the pilots following. Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman and Arthur Leclerc took turns at the wheel, with this year’s car asked to closely follow that of two years ago equipped with mud flaps in order to evaluate any improvements in visibility conditions.
WHY THE CHANGE
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A change that according to the engineers working at FIA would be necessary to allow Formula 1 single-seaters to race safely even in the event of rain. In all the last wet races, in fact, race director Niels Wittich has in fact always preferred to wait for the track to dry – using the red flag or imposing a Safety Car regime for many laps – rather than giving the drivers the green light. The reason is not so much linked to the lack of grip of the cars on a wet track, but rather to the very poor visibility for the drivers who are forced to drive almost “blind” due to the wall of water spray raised by the cars in front .
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FIRST FAILURE TESTS
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A problem that in the past only arose in truly prohibitive weather conditions, but which is now noticeable whenever Pirelli wet tires are fitted, which are so efficient that they have almost completely avoided the risk of aquaplaning. However, at the expense of visibility, given that the excess water is shot into the air by the passage of each car. This is why the Federation is studying an effective system to limit the spray and guarantee better visibility (and therefore greater safety): the first tests, carried out last year at Silverstone by Mercedes and McLaren, were, however, unsuccessful and therefore the FIA has opted for almost complete fairings of all four wheels, which closely resemble those used a few years ago by Formula E single-seaters. In the event that they prove useful in improving visibility, the sprayguards would be mounted on the cars only in case of wet track and not in dry conditions.
