Charlie Whiting has revealed the reasons why Scuderia Ferrari’s halo-mounted wing mirror will not be allowed to be used from the Monaco Grand Prix, with the problem coming from the mounting itself.
Teams were allowed to mount the mirrors on the halo due to the difficulty for drivers using them in their traditional position on the chassis since the introduction of the halo, but the way Ferrari mounted theirs included a fairing that was deemed to be more for aerodynamic purposes more than for rigidity, which the FIA felt was against the regulations.
Both technical delegate Jo Bauer and race director Whiting took a thorough look at the concept and requested it to be removed ahead of the Monaco weekend, and would have been removed for the Spanish Grand Prix if it wasn’t so difficult to revert back to the original mountings they used in the opening four races.
“It’s a liberal interpretation of the word ‘mounting’ because that’s how they become legal,” Whiting is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “The interpretation hinges on whether we think that’s a mounting or not. We somehow think not.
“They think it contributes to the rigidity of the mirror. I doubt they would be there if there wasn’t a measurable aero advantage, but these days that doesn’t have to be big.
“We sent a technical directive a few weeks ago in response to a number of questions from other teams about the principle of mounting a mirror on the halo was acceptable.
“We answered yes, and gave a few stipulations, one that it has to be a mounting. It’s just a matter of interpretation and such a tenuous interpretation is not something we’re happy with.”
