Drivers next year will be allowed to press a button on the steering wheel that spoils downforce in the rear wing and thus boosts the possibility for overtaking.

But driver veteran Jarno Trulli this weekend expressed fears that tinkering with the rear wings is a dangerous move.

Mercedes team boss Brawn, however, insists that the adjustable wing design includes a failsafe.

“The teams have worked on this a lot,” he said in Valencia.

“Should the system fail and is no longer adjustable, the wing will be in its normal position, so there will be no downforce lost,” added Brawn.

(GMM)

A clear rule is likely to be written into the regulations as a response to the incident at the end of qualifying in Canada.

Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton was fined and reprimanded by stewards for driving too slowly on his Q3 in-lap and then stopping on the circuit, so that enough fuel was left in the tank for a test sample.

“We must not come to a situation where cars run out of fuel after their last lap because they want to be qualifying as light as possible,” FOTA technical chairman Ross Brawn said in Montreal.

The situation was reportedly discussed in a meeting on the Sunday of the race, with the FIA’s Charlie Whiting clarifying that drivers who run out of fuel during subsequent qualifying sessions will be summoned to the stewards.

And according to reports in Finland’s Turun Sanomat and Autosprint in Italy, the issue was further discussed on Monday at the F1 Commission, ahead of the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva on Wednesday.

It is believed a new rule will require a certain amount of fuel to be in the tank after the final qualifying segment.

(GMM)

Jun.16 (GMM)  Robert Kubica is the first formula one personality to oppose plans for ‘proximity wings’ in 2011.

After a meeting in Canada last weekend, teams agreed that drivers should next year be able to adjust their rear wings when they are following a car, in order to boost their chances of overtaking.

“I think that could be quite exciting,” said FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh, insisting that drivers will not be able to use the straightline speed-boosting system to defend position.

FOTA’s technical chairman Ross Brawn added: “It’s going to be an enhanced F-duct, where the car that is following will be allowed to reduce its drag to attack the car in front.

“I think that will give a lot more opportunity for overtaking.”

But Renault driver Kubica insists that grands prix have been exciting enough in 2010 without the radical innovation.

“And secondly,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, “why it is only now that people are noticing that overtaking is difficult?

“I watched my first formula one race in 1997, and there was not much overtaking then,” noted the Pole.

Jun.13 (GMM)  F1′s governing body has issued a rule clarification after Lewis Hamilton was penalised and reprimanded for an incident at the end of qualifying in Montreal.

The McLaren pole sitter was fined $10,000 after driving too slowly on his Q3 in-lap and then stopping on the circuit, so that enough fuel was left in the tank for a sample to be tested by the FIA.

Not everyone was happy with the British team’s actions.

“I don’t know all the details so it’s hard to comment,” Mercedes team boss and FOTA technical chairman Ross Brawn is quoted as saying in Canada.

“But we must not come to a situation where cars run out of fuel after their last lap because they want to be running as light as possible.”

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, the situation was discussed on Sunday during a meeting of team bosses and the race director Charlie Whiting.

Whiting reportedly clarified that, in future, any car that runs out of fuel at the end of qualifying will be summoned to the stewards, risking penalties if the reason for the stoppage is not ‘force majeure’.