FIA president Max Mosley believes movable aerodynamic devices may be the key to improving the spectacle in Formula 1.

In a letter to the Formula One Teams' Association, Mosley admits that the jury is out on whether the measures enacted for 2009 – chiefly the reintroduction of slick tyres, drastic downforce reductions and the temporary power boost provided by KERS devices – will have the desired effect of promoting overtaking.

And he says that other ideas being mooted to improve the show, such as reverse grids or the medals system favoured by F1’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, are irrelevant unless the fundamental problem of aerodynamic turbulence is addressed.

“Changes to the aerodynamics rules have been proposed by a group of top experts from the teams and will take effect in 2009,” Mosley wrote.

“It remains to be seen whether these plus an extra 80 bhp from KERS will help overtaking.

“There are also proposals for changes to the sporting regulations such as wholly or partially reversed grids, allocating leading grid places by lot, giving the world championship to the driver with most wins and so on.

“Arguably, however, none of these deals with the problem that once the faster car gets past, it tends to drive away.

“So none of these proposals is conducive to close, wheel-to-wheel racing.”
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Instead Mosley believes introducing movable aerodynamic devices may be the answer.

These would change the level of downforce and drag a car is generating depending on its positioning on the track, so that a car would gain, rather than lose, downforce when running close behind a rival – thereby avoiding the loss of front-end grip that is the main impediment to cars circulating in close company.

Mosley said the intention would be to recreate the kind of wheel-to-wheel slipstreaming battles that took place on fast circuits like Monza in the 1960s.

“We intend to seek FOTA’s help to investigate the use of movable aerodynamic devices,” he wrote.

“If sufficiently radical, these could give a car following another car a performance advantage by virtue of being behind.

“In a primitive way, this was the case in the 1960s, when a car would get a ‘tow’ and lose lift and thus be faster in the wake of another car.

“The result was wheel-to-wheel racing at the so-called slipstreaming circuits, for example pre-chicane Monza.”

While the kind of slipstreaming Mosley extolled was possible in the pre-wings era, and has not been seen since, the FIA president is confident it can be recaptured.

“Using modern technology, movable aero devices could be used to give a car more downforce and less drag whenever it was in turbulent air,” he wrote.

“This would produce wheel-to-wheel racing on all types of circuit.”

Movable aerodynamic devices have been banned in Formula 1 since the late 1960s after the high pole-mounted wings of that era broke off and caused several serious accidents.

The 2009 rules have already taken a small step towards reintroducing them by allowing a cockpit-adjustable flap on the front wing, but Mosley envisages an automatic system.

“It would…require significant (possibly automatic) movable aero devices,” he wrote.

FIA technical consultant Tony Purnell recently stressed the need for radical thinking on aerodynamics – admitting that the changes in place for 2009 could be regarded as no more than tinkering.

“I’m absolutely sure the cars will be better, but some would say we’re talking about a remedial basket case as far as good racing goes, because the car is so badly affected when following,” he told Racecar Engineering magazine.

“While the cars will be better, have the changes gone far enough? We just don’t know.”

Purnell suggested that attempts to promote overtaking will yield only modest benefits for as long as downforce plays a key role in Formula 1 cars’ performance.

“My belief...is that Formula 1, and single-seater racing – and probably sports cars as well – face a dilemma," he said.

“Unfortunately there is a degree of evidence that suggests aerodynamics is probably the worst thing you can have when it comes to close racing.”