As part of the expanding wing regulations for the 2020 MotoGP season, a new 'flex test' will be introduced to strengthen the ban on active aerodynamics. The current technical regulations simply state 'moving aerodynamic devices are prohibited'.
The 2019 Formula 1 season will welcome a series of new regulation tweaks, creating a revised look to the cars as part of a wider push to improve the show.
The development race for this season is all but over. While there is still some performance to be found through car setup and further understanding of the packages the teams already have, only a few new items have trickled onto the grid over the past few races.
With a lap of the Red Bull Ring being as short as it is, there is no better place to find crucial tenths – if not hundredths – of a second to maximise qualifying on Saturday.
Since MotoGP winter testing, Valentino Rossi has repeatedly emphasised the need for Yamaha to improve acceleration via the electronics. "All the Ducatis are better in acceleration, because they are more in front compared to us in the electronics," the Italian said in February.
By Peter McLaren Yamaha has extracted five more horsepower - or 'ponies' as engineering general manager Masao Furusawa calls them - from its YZR-M1 since the end of last season, but believes another three or four will be needed for the 2008 Qatar season opener.
By Peter McLaren Masao Furusawa, Yamaha's general manager of Engineering Operations, likes listening to Kawasaki's new screamer engine - but says the even-firing design will never again power a Yamaha MotoGP bike.