Ban on blown diffusers from Silverstone onwards
The FIA has made a decision and will address the details at the FIA Technical Working Group meeting next Thursday.
Following a request for clarification made by Williams, the FIA had decided to ban, starting from the Spanish Grand Prix, the use of any system ensuring a constant flow in the exhausts, even when the driver is no longer pressing the accelerator, a system introduced last year by Red Bull and Renault and since copied by their main competitors. For technical and financial reasons, the FIA had decided to postpone its decision to June while affirming its determination to act on what it considers a violation of Article 3.15 of the Technical Regulations. Jean Todt, for his part, invoked other reasons, stating that this system represented an unnecessary waste of fuel.
Charlie Whiting, through a letter sent to all teams on Saturday morning, confirmed the FIA’s decision to ban the use of this system starting from the British Grand Prix, which will take place at Silverstone: “The Federation has been clear in its position,” explains Sam Michael, the current Technical Director of the Williams team. “They want to discuss the final details on Thursday […] For the 2012 season, the exhaust system must exit in front of the central axis of the rear wheel, actually 330mm in front […]. This means there will no longer be any influence of the exhaust on the diffuser.”
The first to suffer the consequences will undoubtedly be Lotus Renault Grand Prix, as Eric Boullier confides: “We designed our car around this principle which was already used by some teams last year. We passed the technical inspection at the beginning of the season. Abandoning it now will probably compromise our chances of achieving good results this year.”
Adrian Newey, for his part, expressed his irritation in the Brazilian newspaper O Estadio de Sao Paulo following this announcement: « I agree with changing the rules during the season, for good reasons, like safety, but this is not the case! It’s absurd! »
Ross Brawn showed himself somewhat resigned: « Unless the teams manage to raise a major issue that makes it inapplicable, it will be adopted! » For the head of the Mercedes Grand Prix team, « in qualifying, it represents a deficit of half a second to even a second per lap, but the loss should be less in race configuration. »
The decision will, however, only be made official after the meeting of the FIA’s Technical Working Group, which will meet on Thursday, and in the meantime, it will have the opportunity to generate a lot of discussion.
