Red Bull ace Mark Webber has called the new moveable rear wings a “distraction”, and hinted they could even be dangerous.
The Australian, speaking at a Red Bull press event today in Melbourne, admitted that he did not fully understand the new regulations surrounding the use of the wing, which theoretically increases a driver’s straightline speed while open.
“I don’t quite understand why we have to use the wing all through qualifying,” Webber said.
“For qualifying, it is an added distraction and loading which we don’t really need. It is not helping the show it is another session where you want to do the ultimate lap time but everyone has the same tools to get that lap time, so why overload the driver? There is no real gain for doing it.”
Last season’s F-duct device, which also brought a performance advantage in a straight line, has been banned for this year after concerns that it distracted the driver and in some cases encouraged one-handed driving.
Webber was asked if the moveable wing represented a worse distraction than the F-duct.
“Yes, I think so,” he responded.
“We only had one thing. We like to be challenged at this level, and all the drivers like that, but when everyone has got it, what is the advantage of complicating it? And also, going around Singapore for example trying to use the button….
“If you look at Eau Rouge at Spa that is why I am saying for qualifying why not just have it at the same points we have it for the race? On the straight. Everyone does it, it is easy. If you take Eau Rouge, Copse, or Becketts it is not improving the situation. For us, it is making it a little bit more sketchy.
“We know the teams are pushing us completely to the limit and it is not nice to open the door up for them. It was for racing, so I don’t see why we need to be trying to get through Eau Rouge with an open rear wing. We tried that with the F-duct, it was a little on the edge and Charlie wasn’t too happy with that…”
