Concerned about backmarkers’ reluctance to move over for quicker cars this year, FIA scrutineers on Thursday tested the rear-facing mirror designs on all formula one cars.
At Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit, officials for the governing body required one driver from each team to sit in his car and read a hand-written message held by another scrutineer ten metres behind.
There is no word yet on whether all of the drivers passed the test, after concerns arose about the questionable design and location of mirrors on some cars.
After discovering that sidepod-mounted mirrors were too difficult to see out of, primarily due to excessive vibration, for example, Red Bull has now switched to a more standard cockpit mounting.
Sister team Toro Rosso, however, still mounts its mirrors on the sidepods.
The word in the Sakhir paddock is that further mirror tests will be carried out in the near future.
