FIA claims wheel covers are ‘never going to work’ amidst efforts to make wet weather F1 running safe

Wet weather conditions have been a major hindrance for F1 under the ongoing ground-effect era.

FIA claims wheel covers are ‘never going to work’ amidst efforts to make wet weather F1 running safe

Ferrari Wheel cover rain test (via IMAGO)

The FIA has expressed disapproval of the plans proposed in favor of manufacturing wheel covers for F1 cars to provide better stability and visibility for drivers in wet weather conditions. F1 cars have been struggling to run on the tracks under wet conditions in most circuits of the calendar.

Mercedes and Ferrari have tested solutions for wet weather conditions at Silverstone and Fiorano, respectively. The Italian outfit has hence proposed a solution that would cover most of the tires to avoid splashing water on the wheels, but the FIA disapproves of this idea due to its impracticality.

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The impracticality is that such a system would allow for more water splashing by the rear diffuser of the cars, which would have further negative implications. Keeping the safety and practicality of the situation in mind, the FIA was forced to abandon the wheel guard plan altogether.

FS Video
What we thought we’d do is try to do a total wheel cover, even beyond what would be practical, to see what the maximum we can possibly achieve with that is—in order to see whether that is the solution or not. The previous wheel cover test [at Silverstone last year] was way, way too flimsy and too small. And therefore, I don’t think it was ever going to work. And while they do have a bit of an effect, they don’t have a significant enough effect to say that that’s the solution. Therefore, we are back to square one.
FIA Single Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis told Autosport

The FIA now stands at square one after unconvincing solutions were pitched to them. They will now carry out further testing and formulate newer ideas for the wheel cover to make racing in wet conditions easier in F1.

FIA addresses issues of similar liveries among teams

The FIA has addressed the issue of teams putting out liveries that look similar and discussed reforms to counter the same. The liveries of the teams this season feature a lot more use of carbon fiber and the black color, due to lesser weight distribution purposes.

Ferrari SF-24
Ferrari SF-24 (Via: Imago)
And another issue is that some teams seem to use similar colour schemes, so they end up with cars that maybe look visually quite close to each other. We’re discussing it still with the teams, and it will be discussed in the next F1 Commission. We need to get to some process where teams in some way or other communicate with each other and say: ‘Well, if your car is blue here, mine will not be blue there.’ Or something like that.
FIA Single Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis told Motorsport.com

The FIA single-seater director discussed the usage of similar color schemes in addition to black in cars due to the use of excessive carbon fiber to reduce the weight of the car. The FIA also talked of the possibility of guidelines being put together, which will prevent conflict over similar color schemes.

The regulatory body of F1 will now ensure that the teams do not produce liveries that look the same to maintain the identity and support of the fans. The teams will look to comply with that wholly for next season, which will produce new and exciting liveries in the eyes of the supporters and the drivers.

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