Haas forced to remove flexing T-Wing
Haas was ordered by race direction to remove the T-Wing from its car during second practice and is unsure of when it will reappear.
Dubbed by many analysts as a secondary rear wing, Haas’ interpretation of the regulatory loophole was seen to be flexing during practice ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
With race control concerned as to the integrity of the device, the team were ordered to remove it mid-session.
Team principal Guenther Steiner was evidently nonplussed by the decision.
“We ran this wing in the whole Barcelona test and never had a problem with it breaking or anything,” he stated in an interview featured on Autosport.
“In FP2 we had to take it off because of the moving, so we need to see what we do in FP3.”
T-Wings have been born out of a loophole within the regulations, whereby a piece of carbon fibre of less than a 50-millimetre cord can be attached to the car above the rear section of the engine cover and in-front of the rear wing.
Many teams including Haas have mounted the device to the end of the shark fin.
Despite widespread calls for the loophole to be closed and the unsightly T-Wings to be outlawed, it seems unlikely that the concept is to be banned, barring further and more universal safety concerns.
The incentive for teams to develop in this area lies in the downforce that an additional rear wing creates. This fact makes Haas’ predicament all the more frustrating for the American based team.
“On the data we can see the downforce is there,” Steiner added.
“It is working, so we want to get it back on. But we need to see if we’re allowed to. On this racing car everything is so to the edge, everything helps – and you want to keep it on.”