“The foundations are evolving,” insists the FIA’s Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis in response to drivers claims.
Following preliminary runs within the simulator, quite a few drivers, most notably Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, have expressed concern at subsequent yr’s rules overhaul, the largest in residing reminiscence.
One of many foremost considerations raised is that the brand new regs would require extra give attention to power administration and the like, versus out and out racing.
“Clearly when you might have a a lot greater proportion {of electrical} energy and a smaller proportion of ICE energy, and you do not have batteries which can be discharging over the whole race distance, then power administration turns into a bit extra of a problem,” admits Tombazis to Motorsport.com.
“Now the chance of those new automobiles for the taking part producers is to develop the batteries, {the electrical} techniques, and so forth,” he provides. “I believe we’ll see some innovation on {the electrical} facet of the engine subsequent yr, which I believe shall be good. However clearly there are some challenges with the power administration, and the noises that we hear are normally associated to that.
“We have not completed the principles but in that respect,” he insists. “The foundations are evolving and we knew of those points from day one. The second you scale back one energy, and also you enhance the opposite one, we knew that there have been points to deal with.
“Now we have to undergo an approval course of with the PU producers,” he explains when it comes to the potential want for adjustments, “so we will not simply unilaterally make a change tomorrow. However by and enormous, once we deal with particular issues, the groups and PU producers are usually comparatively useful.
“I believe what we now have now and what we’ll have in the beginning of subsequent yr shouldn’t be precisely the identical factor,” he admits. “I am not saying will probably be fully totally different, however there will certainly be a variety of evolution between now and the beginning.
“Clearly, one of many difficulties is that it’s not all the time straightforward to get everybody to agree,” he admits. “When groups and producers focus on these issues, they consider a mix of the great of the game and their very own aggressive place.
“After all, one bit influences the opposite, so unavoidably, there shall be totally different opinions. In the intervening time, the technical specification of the engines, {the electrical} half, and all of that’s set in stone. That is not altering.”
Confirming that the FIA remains to be engaged on the power restoration facet of issues, he says: “I believe there is a normal feeling that every one of those matters may have very sturdy levers on which to react. These issues need to do with the utmost energy, how rapidly it is going to scale back on the straights, the power that you may recuperate, and many others. There are all types of levers that we are able to play on, and that we’re enjoying on.”
Requested about claims that drivers might want to raise and coast on the straights, one thing of which Verstappen has been extremely vocal, Tombazis says: “There shall be numerous new provisions to be able to handle the power higher and to make it possible for automobiles should not decelerating on the straights, doing humorous issues, or, to illustrate, doing unnatural issues.
“What we do not need, is a scenario the place they need to raise off, for instance, on the straights or something like that. We are going to completely, categorically, make it possible for they do not need to raise off in a selected space to be able to do one thing with the power or no matter. When they should go sooner, drivers will maintain the pedal to the metallic, as they are saying.”
Returning to the theme of producers focussing on themselves, Tombazis admits that some are proving reluctant to share their preliminary information.
“Some are very secretive about what they’re doing, whereas some others are very open and really useful in proposing issues,” he admits. “We’re taking a variety of these concepts on board.”
As for the drivers considerations, he believes that a lot of this might stem from the truth that they do not but have the complete image.
“I believe it is essential to convey that, as a result of some individuals, together with the drivers testing within the simulator, do not observe the evolution of our discussions with the groups intimately. Possibly they solely get a snapshot. However the purpose they’re driving the simulator is exactly to determine these issues, so we are able to clear up them.
“If we did not have drivers within the simulator, we would not have all this suggestions. We are able to do rather a lot with simulations ourselves, however you really need a driver in a automobile and get a variety of suggestions. That is what’s going on these months.”
