Max Verstappen doesn't understand why Mercedes is so happy about the new restrictions against flexible floorboards in Formula One because he thinks the team is one of the biggest offenders.
Max Verstappen doesn't understand why Mercedes is so happy about the new restrictions against flexible floors in Formula 1 because he thinks the team is one of the biggest offenders.
As part of the FIA's effort aimed at eliminating excessive kicks in the current generation of cars, several new measures will be introduced starting at the French GP.
In addition to an Aerodynamic Oscillation Metric (AOM) limit that teams will not be allowed to exceed, the federation will also be stricter with tricks on floorboard flexibility.
It is suspected that some teams have found clever ways around the current 2mm flexibility limit for floors and boards.
This extra movement can help provide a big performance benefit because it allows cars to ride closer to the ground and have more downforce without the risk of wearing out the board or suffering kicks due to floor-to-ground impacts.
When details of what some teams were doing emerged at a meeting of F1's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), several expressed surprise.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff stated, "No one had any idea until the FIA addressed the issue at the last TAC, which was a big surprise to all the teams."
"The intention of the regulation is quite clear. There is no argument for it to flex more than the rules allow. So it was a bit surprising, to say the least. It was more of a shock."
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' director of engineering, believes that the restrictions against flexible floorboards will help balance the pack.
"When this came up, we realized that there were opportunities that we may not have been taking advantage of or exploiting," he said.
"So it won't affect us in terms of how we use the car. Maybe it will affect our competitors, and with that we can get a little bit closer."
But although Mercedes was so pleased with the FIA's move, Verstappen questioned it. According to him, it is the team that has the most flexible floor this season.
Speaking at the Red Bull Ring about Mercedes' support for the changes, Verstappen said, "Well, what I don't quite understand is that they are complaining about the flexible floors when theirs is the most flexible."
It is believed that Ferrari and Red Bull will be the most affected by the new measures, but both insist that they will not need to make changes to their cars.