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Tost about possible foul play: 'The FIA can retrieve images from the wind tunnel'

Tost about possible foul play: 'The FIA can retrieve images from the wind tunnel'

26-03-2020 07:53 Last update: 07:56

GPblog.com

Formula 1 teams are not allowed to modify the chassis for 2020 and 2021. Formula 1 has done this in order to keep the costs as low as possible, but is this controllable?

Is foul play possible?

"The FIA checks the wind tunnel and makes videos and photos of it. This means that you can't just put a car in the wind tunnel, because that difference would be immediately noticeable. In addition, the FIA can retrieve images from the wind tunnel and they can check the last model checked," says Franz Tost in conversation with Motorsport.com.

Of course there is always a way to circumvent the rules, but according to Tost that risk is far too great in this case. ''They can see the data, so you have to do everything you can to get that data to match. In addition, the chance of things going wrong is too great, because too many people are involved in the wind tunnel'', Tost says.

One exception

Yet it is not forbidden for everyone to come up with a new chassis in 2021, because McLaren is allowed to make some adjustments. The team from Woking will change engines in 2021 and can't just fit the Mercedes engine in the current chassis. That will have to be adapted to the new requirements.

''That's a matter between the FIA and McLaren. Of course they are allowed to modify part of the engine, because the Renault engine is of course very different in design from that of Mercedes. However, it is up to the FIA to check that'', Tost concludes.