BARCELONA, Spain -- Red Bull's Adrian Newey is not convinced by the look of Formula One's latest generation of cars, saying some features make them "a bit Wacky Races".
Newey was talking to the press at the opening day of testing in Spain as the new Red Bull RB13 joined the other nine cars at the Circuit de Catalunya. The new regulations are aimed at making the cars significantly faster and more aesthetically pleasing and include mandatory swept back wings and sidepods.
On the first day of testing Lewis Hamilton set a time 0.25s faster than his pole position lap at the same circuit during Spanish Grand Prix qualifying, but lap times are expected to fall significantly further over the coming two weeks. The looks of the cars have been a hit with most fans, but Newey is not convinced by some of the tweaks to the regulations.
"I don't know, it's a very subjective thing, but being brutally honest I think kind of trying to introduce the illusion of speed by having swept front wing, swept sidepod front and swept read wing endplate is kind of just a bit Wacky Races," he said. "Maybe thats me being a bit purist."
However, Newey welcomed the extra freedom that comes with the new regulations.
"I think it makes a more interesting approach having more freedom, as you say this is the first time in quite a few years we have a bit more freedom in the bodywork restriction regulations. The most obvious thing is it's a wider car with wider bodywork, I think interestingly the removal of the exclusion boxes around the barge board area is an area which gives a lot of opportunity. I think you can see from the cars which have been released probably the main development area has been that precise area."
One feature on the new cars has divided fan opinion, however. The reintroduction of "shark fin" engine covers has come about due to a relaxation in the rules regarding engine cover -- a reversal of a rule brought in in 2011 -- and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed he had tried to get the fins banned ahead of the season.
"I think the cars look fantastic," Horner said, "the only thing that lets them down is the shark fins, proportionally. It's something that we raised at a Formula One strategy meeting last year to ask that all teams remove them because it is pretty marginal the performance gain that they offer. In the interest of aesthetics it was requested that they be removed.
"That went to the Formula One Commission and unfortunately was immediately rejected by the majority of teams. Hopefully it's something that can be addressed for next year because I think the cars look great, it's just a shame that this shark fin has crept in again through another loophole in the regulations."