APRIL 30, 2002

Minardi sorts out rear wing failure

MINARDI has analyzed the rear wing failure that caused the team to pull out of last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix and declared that the failure was due to a "single component fitted to that car alone".

The team tested two rear wing structures identical in design to the one that failed on Mark Webber's PS02 Sunday morning. One was loaded to 2.5 times the maximum stress believed to be reached during the season without any adverse effect, and the other reached 3 times the maximum stress reached at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain before failure.

Paul Stoddart commented on the wing failure and subsequent tests, "We now know that the failure on Mark's car was a one-off problem with that component, but further strengthening will be incorporated in all of our rear wings, purely as an added precaution. Wind tunnel testing has also verified that the modification will not result in any loss of vehicle performance. The work will be completed prior to the Austrian Grand Prix."