Newey annoyed by the controversy over the wings

In an interview with Red Bulletin, the British engineer addresses the controversy surrounding the front wing of his RB7, largely fueled by its main rival: McLaren.

To be honest, it’s becoming boring. » declares the Briton about the controversy over the mobility of the RB7’s front wing. « Last year, people were already whining about our front wing. The tests have been made stricter by the FIA: they are scrutinized in every detail… Frankly, I think it’s the desire of one particular team to change the regulations because the regulations are very clear about what can and cannot be done with the front wing. »

On the occasion of the Chinese Grand Prix, the apparent sagging of the front wing of Adrian Newey’s latest creation on the long back straight couldn’t dispel doubts, as the contrast with the behavior of the McLaren wing was striking. But the Red Bull engineer can explain this phenomenon: « [It] depends on how you set up the car. We have chosen to run it nose-down. Others, including McLaren, have opted for opposite approaches. As soon as you run with the rear lowered, the front wing is effectively higher. »

The fact remains that, despite the controversy between the two teams and the difficulty McLaren seems to have in copying Red Bull’s trick—whatever it may be—the team based in Woking is establishing itself, Grand Prix after Grand Prix, as the main rival to the Red Bull, after having copied its blown diffuser concept: « It’s both boring and flattering » comments Newey. « They have obviously made a leap forward with it and it seems to work particularly well for them. That’s the nature of Formula One. We must continue to develop the car, to try to come up with new ideas to stay ahead. »

But if McLaren’s winter testing was particularly laborious, it was largely due to the English team’s decision to adopt forward-blown exhausts, like those of Lotus Renault GP, an option quickly dismissed by Adrian Newey: « We had heard rumors that Renault was considering exhausts like the ones they adopted, but we didn’t waste our time trying to develop them. We decided that with the time we had, we really wanted to focus on the program we had set for ourselves. […] Very often, there are different directions that can be taken, and it’s very difficult to predict which will be the most beneficial. Who knows? Maybe Renault will continue to develop its exhausts and unlock more potential from them than we will? It’s hard to know and impossible to pursue all these options. »