FIA drops the idea of new rain wheel cover after Ferrari's test results

Amid the upcoming rain-affected Monaco Grand Prix 2024, the Formula 1 governing body has decided not to opt for a new type of tyre cover. Ferrari recently assisted motor racing’s governing body in evaluating a more advanced wheel guard concept at Fiorano, aimed at reducing spray. 

This new design was significantly more dramatic than the version tested at Silverstone last year. During the test, Ferrari ran two cars to assess the effectiveness of the new guard. The latest covers were intentionally exaggerated to help the FIA understand the potential improvement in visibility if spray from the wheels was minimized. 

However, video analysis concluded that the benefit was marginal, as the diffuser still generated a significant amount of water spray. Consequently, the FIA quickly decided that the wheel cover idea was not worth pursuing, prompting the exploration of alternative solutions for improving visibility in wet conditions.

What did FIA say about the project? 

In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, FIA's head of single-seater matters, Nikolas Tombazis, announced that the wheel cover project has been halted as it failed to deliver the expected improvements.

He said, “We always knew that there were two main contributing factors to the cloud of spray. One was how much water was picked up from the ground from the diffuser, and the other one was from the wheels. What we thought we'd do is try to do a total wheel cover, even beyond what would be practical, to see what is the maximum we can achieve with that - to see whether that is the solution or not.” 

“The previous wheel cover test at Silverstone last year was way, way too flimsy and too small. And therefore I don't think it was ever going to work. So we went to the maximum just to see what was the best we could achieve from the wheel covers. And while they do have a bit of an effect, they don't have a significant enough effect to say that that's the solution. Therefore we are back to square one.”

“Let’s say that I think we've answered a few questions. We know where we are, but I don't think that's continuing as a project at the moment, as such. Now we know we need to find other ways to protect races from being cancelled.”