Brawn finds new aero regulations 'encouraging' after Melbourne battles

Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn has had his say on the new aerodynamic regulations for the 2019 season.

Fresh regulations have been introduced with the aim of decreasing the dirty air the cars produce which will allow for closer on-track. Some drivers were sceptical of their effectiveness following pre-season testing, while others believed they had made a difference.

Brawn pointed to the increased number of overtakes at the Australian Grand Prix this year compared to last year, admitting he is encouraged by the early indications.

"Judging by the number of passing moves in the race – 14 this year (six without DRS) compared to three in 2018 – the initial signs are encouraging, especially as apart from the actual overtakes, we saw some thrilling battles," he wrote in a piece for Formula1.com.

"Clearly those weren’t all down to the new aerodynamics, as the performance of the midfield teams especially has closed up dramatically. However, several drivers said the cars felt more neutral when following another when compared to previous years."

However, Brawn is remaining cautious over the figures and will wait until a handful of more races are ticked off before making a true judgement.

"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."

Brawn added that Ferrari's pace was surprising to him, and believes that the team itself isn't sure what went wrong in Melbourne. 

"Ferrari arrived in Australia with the wind in their sails, after going very well over the eight days of winter testing. It seemed certain they would be fighting for victory, but instead, they didn’t even make it to the podium.

"From the outside, it’s hard to tell what went wrong and, listening to the drivers and engineers, it seems that even within the team they have not yet been able to identify what on earth happened.

"Neither Vettel nor Leclerc were ever really competitive at any point over the weekend."