Williams Formula 1 Technical Head Paddy Lowe said that F1 teams have "made a concerted effort" to ensure the '19 aerodynamic rules "do not leave any loopholes that can be exploited," according to Cooper & Beer of AUTOSPORT. As a "first push" in Liberty Media's bid to increase the amount of overtaking in F1, this year's cars "will feature a number of changes designed to make them less aerodynamically sensitive when following each other." Previous rules shake-ups have "allowed some teams to gain an advantage by pouncing on ambiguities." Lowe feels it is "unlikely there will be a repeat of that scenario 10 years on." He said, "The teams have been quite ready and open, at least some of them, to put stuff on the table that's then been heavily constrained. The regulations are very restrictive" (AUTOSPORT, 1/2).
'BROKEN MODEL': MOTORSPORT's Jonathan Noble reported owners are "pushing ahead" with an overhaul of F1 from '21. But "not all teams are yet convinced by Liberty’s vision," with the big manufacturers like Ferrari and Mercedes skeptical about some of the proposals. McLaren F1 Exec Dir Zak Brown, who has been involved in the discussions with Liberty, thinks it is essential that the sport's bosses "do not back away from making what he thinks are essential changes." Brown said, "We know change in F1 is difficult, and we also know F1 today is a broken model, both as a business and as an on-track product, that is going to need to be changed. Those that are winning today will obviously feel the compromise about what is happening, and those that are not winning today are going to like the plan" (MOTORSPORT, 1/3).
CRASH BILL: STUFF reported Toro Rosso F1 suffered almost NZ$4M ($2.7M) in damages to its cars in '18, with Kiwi driver Brendon Hartley involved in the bulk of the crashes. Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost revealed the crash bill as he looked back on a "difficult season" that resulted in Hartley "eventually losing his job." Tost: "We have had far too many serious crashes" (STUFF, 1/3).
