Brawn called Mercedes’ W13 update “impressive” and believes the FIA has no problem with the route the Brackley team has chosen.
However, he warned that rivals could raise objections which could prompt the FIA to examine the situation more closely and could ultimately trigger a rule change.
Both the FIA and the Formula 1 organisation, which helped draft the new regulations, have a vested interest in ensuring that the main objective of allowing cars to closely follow each other is not compromised, in order to facilitate on-track battling. .
“I think there’s no question that the Mercedes concept we hadn’t anticipated, it’s a very extreme interpretation of the regulations,” Brawn said in an interview with F1 TV.
“And I think, inevitably, there’s going to be a lot of debate about their interpretation. That’s what happens with the new regulations. And as much as you try to close all the options, and believe me, we close hundreds of them, as I say, innovation in F1 is always extreme.”
“So from our perspective it’s very much about whether it affects the objective of the regulations. From the perspective of the teams, they want to be sure that no one has made an interpretation that they don’t feel is correct. So I think there will be a lot discussion in the coming days.
Stressing that it is up to the FIA to judge the legality of each car, Brawn suggested that, at least so far, there is no problem with the Mercedes, but that could change if a rival team raises an objection highlighting a specific area of concern. .
“It’s impressive,” Brawn said of the W13. “And I think that’s what’s great about innovation in F1, that it stays within bounds that are sensible, and there’s no compromise as I say, in terms of what we wanted to achieve.”
“I think you have to be fair, that when a team has an idea, with innovation, with novelty, you don’t have to penalize it immediately.”
“But I think the FIA, as the sport’s regulator, knows everything that’s going on there, we as F1 don’t, because we don’t have the right to have information. But the sport’s regulator knows what’s going on. I think so far they think right”.
“But of course a team can come and raise an objection that the FIA hadn’t considered. And then you have a problem. And I’ve been through that many times, when your idea is right, and the FIA agrees.
“And then a team comes in with a perspective that’s never been considered and they have an argument that’s valid. So I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of discussion about that. But it’s impressive for a set of rules, which everyone said was too prescriptive. We’re looking at all these solutions.”
Brawn made it clear that under F1’s modified governance format it is possible to adjust the technical regulations during the season, even if two teams disagree.
That option was designed into the system in large part to curb any unexpected innovation, especially if, for example, it compromises the overall goal of letting cars follow each other more easily.
“I think one of the significant things that we have changed is governance in F1,” Brawn said. “Because before you needed everyone to agree to a change in the season, now you can make a change with 80% of the teams in agreement, as long as the FIA and F1 also agree.
“I think that once the interpretation that Mercedes has made is understood, then we can have a balanced view or we can have an opinion on its impact, what effect it is going to have, because the spirit is a very gray area.
“In the end, you have to rely on the wording of the regulation, because if you take it to court, that is what is judged. But those words can be changed. With an 80% majority of the team, we can change the wording [of the normative]”.
“So if something has slipped in, the teams are aware that that can happen. And that can happen during the season, so we have to see how this plays out.”
Looking around the pitlane, Brawn stressed that he hasn’t seen anything that could trigger such a change or clarification of the rules.
“It’s impossible to anticipate the creative scope of the teams. And once they have the rules, you have a thousand engineers working on all the rules, and they can use them,” he said.
“So some of the solutions, quite honestly, we hadn’t anticipated. And I think we’ll re-investigate those solutions, and make sure they maintain the intent of the new standards.”
“I think they do. Our initial impressions are that there is nothing here that we are overly concerned about in terms of the goals of the standards, and so it is fascinating to see such a wide range of solutions.”
“What I think has become a game changer for the teams is a lot of new innovations in cooling, and radiators, that have been made available to them as it has given them more scope to create the designs that they have. “.
