Ferrari complaint clips BAR's wings

Rear wing problems
By Phil Huff (24/04/2004)
April 24 2004

Lucky Strike BAR Honda are involved in yet more rear-wing problems, as a Ferrari complaint forces the team to reduce the effectiveness of the Brackley teams distinctive vertical planes.

Following on from the banning of BAR's unseen 'radical' rear wing, the FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting issued a clarification of the rear wing regulations to all the teams, and Ferrari considered that this put BAR's rear wing outside of the revised rules.

Otmar Szafnauer explained that Whiting believed the vertical planes were allowed under the rules. "While it wasn't his intent, when he clarified the rules - that clarification de facto included this."

The team have now reduced the size of the vertical planes, which has made a "measurable performance difference".

Williams-BMW ran similar planes in Bahrain, following the success of the BAR design, and have been forced to alter their interpretation, deciding to remove the planes altogether.