Formula 1's Managing Director of Motorsports Ross Brawn has reflected on the 2019 rule changes following the first race of the new season, and although he says it's too early to tell whether they've worked just yet, he was encouraged by what he saw.
F1 introduced a raft of aerodynamic changes for this year in the hope of making it easier for cars to follow one another and boost overtaking chances.
Drivers agreed they were now able to get closer to the car ahead, but questioned whether overtaking was actually easier. The race did however see a 133% increase in passing according to Brawn.
"Judging by the number of passing moves in the race; 14 this year (6 without DRS) compared to three in 2018, the initial signs are encouraging, especially as apart from the actual overtakes; we saw some thrilling battles," noted the former team boss.
"Clearly those weren’t all down to the new aerodynamics, as the performance of the mid-field teams especially has closed up dramatically. However, several drivers said the cars felt more neutral when following another when compared to previous years.
"Here too, the Australian track isn’t the most accurate test, so I’d prefer to wait for at least another three races before drawing any conclusions. However, the initial signs are encouraging."
Another major change was the addition of a championship point for fastest lap. It created some interest in the closing laps of the race as several drivers set about claiming it, with race winner Valtteri Bottas snatching it on the penultimate lap to walk away from the first race with the maximum points tally of 26.
"The return to awarding a point to the driver and team who set the race fastest lap livened up the closing stages of the race, as Verstappen tried to nudge out Bottas, who had his hands on that particular prize. On lap 54, the Dutchman posted a 1.26.540, beating Bottas’ time from lap 42 by 0.199s.
"The Finn then got close with a 1.26.830 on lap 55 and, after allowing his tyres to cool, put an end to the duel with a decisive 1.25.580 on lap 57. Hamilton also gave it a shot towards the end, but the Englishman never got below the 1m 26s barrier, his best on lap 57 being a 1.26.057.
"In a race in which the podium positions seemed set from early on, the fight to claim that one extra point, in the knowledge that it could be vitally important in the closing stages of the championship, certainly livened up the closing stages of the race.
"That was exactly what we and the FIA had in mind when it came up with the idea."
