At Silverstone on Thursday, Mercedes and McLaren will take part in tests of wheel arches or “fenders” that can reduce the amount of spray behind cars during a wet race.
After the tragedy at Spa that claimed the life of young Dilano van ‘t Hoff, the FIA accelerated a program to improve visibility in wet races. Rain and intermediate bands are very effective at draining water, but they spray it upwards, creating a large cloud of mist. To reduce their numbers, the FIA decided to try fenders – and today the two teams, together with the federation’s engineers, will test different options.
Prototype wheel arches, which are expected to cover about a quarter of the tire’s circumference, will be fitted to the Mercedes car. Tests will be conducted on the watered straight. Mercedes is followed by a McLaren car without wheel arches. Then they switch places and the FIA can evaluate the effect achieved.
While there is no confirmation of who will drive the cars during testing, there is speculation that Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher will be behind the wheel of the W14.
Neither Mercedes nor McLaren will incur any costs for the tests, which are not subject to spending limits as they are commissioned by the FIA.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
