Exclusive: BAR Modify Wing After Ferrari Complaint

BAR-Honda were forced to change their rear wing today at Imola following a complaint by Ferrari to the FIA, Atlas F1 reveals.

BAR were developing a radical rear wing based on a Honda concept, which would have seen an extended top element on the rear wing. The 2004 technical regulations stipulate the teams can run only two elements on the rear wing. Honda's concept was to extend the upper element of the rear wing, however similar designs submitted to the FIA have led technical delegate Charlie Whiting to send a clarification to all teams last week, notifying them that such an extension would be deemed a third element and therefore illegal.

Following Whiting's clarification, BAR-Honda have abandoned this design, but have now been forced to further alter their plans shortly before practice today, after Ferrari complained yesterday to the FIA, stating that BAR's 'shark fins', mounted on the rear wing, do not comply with Whiting's clarification letter.

"The FIA have said that an aerofoil, when cut cross-sectionally, has to have these two shapes [1 and 2 in Figure A]," explained the vice-president of Honda Racing Development, Otmar Szafnauer. "Our shark fins look something like this [Figure B].

"In Whiting's letter of last week, in order to clarify that we couldn't use a third element, he said that all cross sections need to have surfaces that look like [Figure A], with two surfaces. One could say our shark fins had four [Figure B]. So following Ferrari's complaint yesterday, we had to cut the shark fins so we got it down to this [Figure C]."

Szafnauer also revealed that Whiting himself stated in a technical meeting yesterday that he did not think the shark fins in their original shape were illegal, however "while it wasn't his intent [to outlaw them], when he clarified the rules - that clarification de facto included this [limitation]," Szafnauer added.

He said the forced change today made a "measurable performance difference, not insignificant," and added that BAR-Honda may consider appealing the decision after this weeked. "For this race, we just decided to cut off the shark fins," Szafnauer said.

Asked by Atlas F1 why BAR-Honda did not submit the rear wing design to the FIA to begin with, to ensure its legality, Szafnauer said: "we were so confident that it was within the rules. To us it wasn't a grey area. We were very confident that this is within the letter of the law."

Williams, who were running similar shark fin elements in the Bahrain Grand Prix two weeks ago, were also affected by Ferrari's complaint and have removed the shark fins altogether during today's practice session, ahead of the San Marino Grand Prix.