F1 drivers’ chief Alex Wurz hails ‘change in philosophy’ on overtaking

THE first skirmish in the battle to secure the future of Formula One threw up an unlikely and unexpected result when the sport announced it would be introducing rule changes for next year to improve overtaking. It was an engagement that had looked doomed from the off, faced with the natural selfinterest of the teams, but the success bodes well for F1, the fans and the drivers, who can claim no small part in bringing about the first step in what should be a new era for the sport.

F1’s new owners, Liberty Media, and the FIA have pulled off something of a coup by managing to secure the requisite votes at the F1 Commission to impose new regulations for next season. The key change is a new front wing, to decrease turbulent air in the wake of a car that prevents competitors following one another closely and hinders passing. The problem has been openly criticised by drivers but they can now feel genuinely optimistic about the future of F1.

The former driver Alex Wurz is the chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and he is delighted with the decision. “It could be the starting point for a game-changer,” he says. Wurz is an out-and-out racer. He competed in F1 for four full seasons with some memorable performances, including going wheel to wheel with Michael Schumacher at Monaco, a superb podium at Canada in 2007 and a brilliant run to fourth in the wet at the Nürburgring the same year. He has won Le Mans twice and the Sebring 12 Hours once after a fine battle with Sébastien Bourdais over the final laps.