Force India chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer thinks that the pecking order in 2017 could be changed due to the uncertainty surrounding the new regulations.
This year we will see the cars with much more downforce with agressive new looking cars, which have some adapted features such as shark fins and swept back front wings which supposedly make the cars three to five seconds faster.
“Whenever you mix up the rules it’s bound to introduce some uncertainty. There’s the opportunity for teams to achieve or underachieve and if that happens it will disrupt the status quo,” Szafnauer said.
“Will the new rules create better racing? Only time will tell. The cars will be significantly faster – not down the straights, but through the corners – but the braking zones will be reduced and that won’t necessarily have a positive impact on overtaking opportunities.
“I certainly like the aesthetics of the new cars because they remind me of the racing cars of old. I’m sure they will look spectacular on the track too.”
Force India enjoyed their best ever finish last season, securing fourth in the constructors championship at the season finale at Abu Dhabi. Szafnauer says it is impossible to predict if they can repeat their success due to the new regulations.
“As a team we have some internal objectives, but it’s very hard for me to verbalize those ambitions because it’s impossible to know what our
competitors could achieve given such a huge change of regulations,” Szafnauer said.
“What I can say is that we have met our internal targets for the car – for example in terms of the aero numbers we set as the goal for the launch car. How those targets compare to our competitors is impossible to say until we hit the track.”
Fergal Walsh
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