Newey: This year’s noses are dangerous

Red Bull chief car designer Adiran Newey believes this year's racing noses are not only ugly, but also raise safety issues.

In Formula One, new rules apply this year, which stipulate that the noses of racing cars must be lower, in order to prevent racing cars from flying into the air in the event of a side-on collision. But Newey fears the noses are now so low that race cars could drive under each other in the event of a rear-end collision.

“The FIA ​​has done some analysis that has shown that a low nose reduces the chances of flying over another car, (for example, the accident of Mark Webber and Hekki Kovalainen years ago in Valencia). I have to admit that I am worried that the opposite will happen now - a car could drive under another if there is a direct collision in the rear, which is even worse from the point of view of safety for the racer. "

Newey, however, also agrees with many spectators who think this year’s racing noses are even worse. “Unfortunately, the rules dictate some ugly solutions, as we could see on this year’s race cars. We need to design the race car the way we think it will be most effective, no matter the look. Personally, I think that the shape of the cars, as well as the sound, is a big part of the drama in Formula One, and unfortunately this year's cars are very unattractive to look at. ”

Batteries and their installation are also said to be problematic. The rules dictate that they must be located under the fuel tank, in the middle of the car, while at Red Bull they were placed under the gearbox. “This rule is also enforced on safety grounds, but I don’t know how it can be safer to store batteries under a fuel tank instead of for an engine,” Newey said. “These batteries can become abnormally hot and even catch on impact, and with such a large battery, the fire is difficult to control.

In fact, all you can do in such a case is drive into the pits and watch everything burn from afar. This does not pose a danger to the racer, as overheating is detected quickly enough, but it is still very dangerous. ”