“It’s still tricky to overtake” – Sebastian Vettel feels little improvement from new wings. The 2019 season starts in Australia with new regulations.

The 2019 Formula One season starts in Australia on March 17 with new regulations. Aerodynamic rule changes mean simpler front and rear wings as well as smaller barge boards along the side of the cars. The front wings are wider, higher, further forward and with simpler end plates. The aim is to make the air less choppy for a car following in the wake of another and therefore, hopefully, to make overtaking easier by allowing them to get closer. Brake ducts have also been simplified.

However, Scuderia Ferrari German driver Sebastian Vettel isn’t convinced that the new front and rear wings which have been introduced for the 2019 Formula 1 season have made it easier for cars to follow and overtake. While Haas driver Kevin Magnussen has said Formula 1’s new wings made it much easier to follow another car, Sebastian Vettel was less impressed when asked about it during last week’s test:

“Yes I have followed other cars last week and yesterday, not really this morning. It’s difficult to say in testing, it’s always difficult to judge because you’re on different tyres, not just different age of tyres but also different compounds and different programs. So far it was still tricky to follow and to overtake.” – Scuderia Ferrari German driver Sebastian Vettel explained.