F1 could ditch high noses
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| High F1 noses, which are also hideous looking, may be banned |
(GMM) The FIA is looking into banning the high noses that have become commonplace in formula one car design.
A report on the Spanish website motor21.com said the move would be on the grounds of safety, to reduce the risk of airborne accidents like Mark Webber's at Valencia last year.
It is claimed that Andy Mellor, the FIA Institute's head of technical affairs, also believes changes to the front wing designs would further reduce the chance of airborne accidents.
03/17/11 Speaking in the FIA Institute's new IQ magazine, FIA Institute's technical advisor Andy Mellor said that ongoing research into F1 collisions may lead to lower nose designs.
"The key aspect is the nose height of the car behind, as this will determine whether or not launch occurs," said Mellor, who said more conventional designs often mean a nose will 'submarine' under a rear wheel rather than lift up in a collision.
"Another influential factor is velocity and the resulting fore-aft acceleration and vertical acceleration."
"Nose-to-wheel science is solved. There are very definite parameters by which these contacts do not cause a launch. The knowledge exists, so it just needs to be eradicated."