Whitmarsh: Fans want uncertain outcomes
Should the new moveable rear wing fail to produce the desired overtaking at the start of the season, Martin Whitmarsh is confident it will be easy to make changes that do improve passing.
With fans bemoaning the lack of overtaking and several drivers pointing out how difficult it is, F1's powers-that-be have taken steps in this season's regulations to facilitate passing.
Not only will KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) return to the sport, giving drivers a power boost, but moveable rear wings have also been introduced. The latter will allow drivers to gain a straightline speed boost by expanding the slot gap in the rear wing from 10-15mm to 50mm.
There are, however, some concerns that the racing could become "too artificial" as drivers wait until the final lap to attempt to take the lead. And, of course, there are also fears that the new innovations will not work.
McLaren team boss Whitmarsh, though, believes the new wing design is such that should either concern be realised, it can be altered.
"All cars are difficult in close racing to overtake," he told Autosport.
"In F1 it is accentuated because of the professionalism of the teams, and the quality of the drivers, so it is even more difficult. Overtaking in most categories is a consequence of a mistake by the guy in front - and mistakes are less common in F1.
"I think what we have done now is give ourselves a tool - and between the teams and the FIA we have responded to it. If it was an absolute disaster, which I don't think it will be, then frankly to delete the use of that item or modify its mode of operation, is very easy to do.
"If you got into this season and suddenly said: with these cars there isn't any overtaking, and it was perceived as a big public need, then we have more of a tool to address it.
"I don't think it is going to be that easy to overtake, but there is going to be a variety of KERS users as well. So you are potentially going to have a stalled wing attack fought off with a KERS defence in some instances.
"Or, you will have an attack that is a combination of KERS plus stalled rear wing. I don't think you can predict it. We have just got to make sure we find a way to use it sensibly."
Whitmarsh, though, added that he believes F1 needs to walk a line between making overtaking easier and making it too easy as what fans really want is to not know the winner before the race has even begun.
"It is very fashionable to say that what we need in F1 is more overtaking," he said. "I lost count of moves last year, as Lewis (Hamilton) in the first four races did about 39 competitive overtakes. So they (overtaking moves) are there.
"I don't think overtaking is an important as some people think it is. It has become a bit of an obsession. To be honest, some people with a lack of creativity have jumped on the bandwagon and are saying that is what we need to do.
"I think what people want is uncertainty of outcome. Going into the race weekend up until Saturday, you want uncertainty about the outcome of qualifying.
"And then, regardless of the outcome of qualifying, you want that uncertain outcome for the race which causes you to want to watch it."
Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)
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