F1: Wolff says wind tunnel ban won't happen

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks a ban on wind tunnel use in Formula 1 is "not going to happen."

Last week, Red Bull boss Christian Horner suggested that F1 should be willing to consider such a ban as an "extreme" money-saving measure. Since then, Williams team principal Claire Williams has said her team would be against a ban as it would be counter-productive, serving to increase costs in the short-term. Now Wolff has similarly dismissed Horner's idea, suggesting his Red Bull counterpart was joking.

"It is interesting who comes up with these ideas. I wouldn't attribute too much attention to that," Wolff said. "I still think it was a joke. Wind tunnels are an integral part of Formula 1 today. They are an integral part of any road car business.

"By not using the wind tunnel, how do you want to put the car on the track without having measured it? You can't expect Formula 1 to be the pinnacle of motorsport and race the most competitive cars out there without having checked the aerodynamic performance. That's not going to happen."

FORCE INDIA BACKS BAN IDEA

In another illustration of the divide between F1's have- and have-nots, Force India has come out in favor of such a ban, however. Its deputy team principal Bob Fernley says wind tunnels are an outdated technology not appropriate to F1's status as a technology pinnacle.

"Force India has proposed this twice now to the F1 Strategy Group and its been declined twice, including [by] Red Bull, but I'm pleased to see some light is coming on an issue that needs to be resolved. Hopefully it will go further," Fernley told AUTOSPORT.

"I think it's very realistic. Formula 1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsport, we're supposed to be pushing the limits of technology, but we're using a device in our aero departments which is archaic and is incredibly expensive to operate and to purchase.

"So, why aren't we pushing the limits of CFD? It does two things; it will make F1 more sustainable for all teams, particularly the independent teams, and it lowers the entry barrier for new teams coming in."

Fernley said Force India ruled out building its own wind tunnel a few years ago because of the high costs.

"We looked at it very seriously two or three years ago and it looked to cost about $40 million at that point," he said.

When asked how much it would cost to get a full CFD setup, Fernley estimated an investment of around $1 million with the running costs "hardly anything" compared to an estimated $15-20 million a year to operate a wind tunnel.

Originally on Autosport.com