Ferrari talks about Red Bull. He does it with full knowledge of the facts, even if it is certainly not a real frontal attack. A “veiled” criticism of the team Milton Keynes which also hides a judgment on the current regulations imposed by the FIA. Let’s talk about it in order. It was inevitable that it would happen and it duly happened. Thanks to or because of regulatory continuity (depending on the point of view), the team can make some test private individuals with single-seaters from three calendar years prior to the current championship. These are therefore the cars of 2022the first produced on the basis of the most significant technical revolution of recent decades.
This type of tests is governed by paragraph 10.2 of the sporting regulations called Testing of Previous Cars (TPC), which has become the subject of discontent since Red Bull took advantage of this opportunity to make a test behind closed doors, at Imola, last week. Max Verstappen he lowered himself into the cockpit of the RB18with which he became world champion for the second time. Max he made several laps which, by the owner’s own admission team reigning world champion, they were very helpful. Austrian team in difficulty that seems to be trying to scrape the barrel.
It is doing this by insinuating itself through the folds of the regulation to try to rediscover the brilliance of the first races of the season, solving some problems that are actually slowing down the race of the Red Bull RB20. This is the opinion of the rivals who did not like at all that the test was the title-holder and current leader of the drivers’ standings 2024. The spirit of these tests should be to make the promising young players who are part of the team rack up the miles academy of the stables, or reserved for those who work just this: the test driver official.
However, the sports regulation is rather ambiguous in this regard. In particular, point d) of paragraph 10.2 is particularly noteworthy, which states: “Exceptionally, and at the sole discretion with prior approval of the FIA, components and/or software may be fitted to the TPC which do not comply with Article 10.2.c, for reasons of cost, reliability, safety, lack of availability or track conditions. In such cases, competitors must make a formal request to the FIA and specify the reasons why such components and/or software are to be used”.
Point c, as we can read directly through the regulated excerpt, prescribes that during these test elements must be used software already used in an official session relating to the year of the single-seater or the current year’s car. In essence, through a very well-substantiated derogation, a team can theoretically test a component or a software of the current year in the TPC tests. Among other things, these are changes made to the regulatory body that date back to August of last season.
Scuderia Ferrari’s irritation at Red Bull’s moves
The stable Ferrari through Frederic Vasseur did not appreciate the methods of test Imola of Max Verstappen. According to team principal of the red ones the so-called “test of previous car” cannot be carried out by regular drivers, as their purpose is to guarantee mileage to young drivers. For this reason the talent of Hasselt he didn’t need these tests to get used to a single-seater F1. However, the regulation does not specify who can carry out the test. Therefore Red Bull operated in compliance with the regulations, through the typical interpretation borderline of the Anglo-Saxon body of legislation.
According to manager transalpine the precedent of Imola it must be a warning to the FIA: it is necessary to define the number of test days reserved for regular drivers and those reserved for young drivers. In a far from veiled way the manager of Draveil he hinted that the test from the Red Bull had the purpose of developing the current single-seater. After all, over the weekend in Spain il chief engineer Paul Monaghanadmitted that the team needed to have a concrete reference with respect to the characteristics of the RB18 transferred to the project 2024 on which there are still some big question marks. In essence a real comparison test which betrays the spirit of the regulation.
F1, the usual gimmick that saves appearances
As often happens in F1, the noble attempts aimed at sustainability, in the broadest sense of the word, are consistently disregarded. The announcement of test private, in force from the season 2009was a measure to reduce exorbitant costs. Team as the Ferrari they had the opportunity to carry out tests almost daily on their own tracks (Fiorano and Mugello, ed.) and on that of Vairano to compare the wind tunnel data. However, the TPC require costs that are completely comparable to those of the past, as they are not limited by a maximum number of kilometres that can be travelled as in the case of filming day.
Among other things Red Bull chose to carry out this type of test right on the track where evident problems with the suspension system emerged, just in coincidence with the high-speed passage of the single-seater on the kerbs. Therefore, the logistical costs must also be considered, since a test without development purposes it could be carried out at a lower cost in the nearby Silverstone. I TPC risk becoming a slippery slope on which the FIA must intervene promptly, because it is clear that the case Red Bull could set a dangerous precedent.
Author: Alexander Arcari – @berrageiz
Images: FIA – F1Tv – Scuderia Ferrari – Oracle Red Bull Racing
