FIA say Brawn/Toyota/Williams are legal

[Pancake]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7996698.stm

[Ponty]

Yup, we also clarified our new design as legal so check out Alonso's car in FP3 on Saturday.

 

Bit of a stitch-up though, that ruling, bodywork is clearly visible through the slot in the floor of the Brawn so basically a rule that the FIA brought in 15 years ago to shaft Williams has just been overturned on a whim.

 

Ah well, that's Formula Max for you.

[Pancake]

Is that a new part you are going to be running Ponts? Based on the designs from the summer?

[Ponty]

Is that a new part you are going to be running Ponts? Based on the designs from the summer?

 

Yeah, something we abandoned thanks to Charlie Whiting assuring us it would be illegal, which was then used by the "Double diffuser gang" to exploit the loophole. We should have one ready soon.

[Arizona]

Any idea of how much closer the 'none-difuser' teams will be when they modify their cars? How much faster will Piquet go flying off into the gravel trap when it's all sorted?

[Ponty]

Any idea of how much closer the 'none-difuser' teams will be when they modify their cars? How much faster will Piquet go flying off into the gravel trap when it's all sorted?

 

It's not actually a 'bolt-on' fix tbh, but it could be up to half a second a lap.

[Colinjb]

So Flavio's protest was as much an excuse to prove the legality of your own system as it was to protest the illegality of opposing team's ideas.

[Saint Paul C]

I think that the biggest losers in this will be Red Bull and Ferrari who will need to re-engineer most of the rear end of their cars to include the DD.

[Pancake]

I think that the biggest losers in this will be Red Bull and Ferrari who will need to re-engineer most of the rear end of their cars to include the DD.

 

Aren't Red Bull ****ed based on the set up of their rear suspension? Bloody shame for Webber if that turns out to be the case, not going to shed a tear for Ferrari is its the case with them too though.

[Ponty]

So Flavio's protest was as much an excuse to prove the legality of your own system as it was to protest the illegality of opposing team's ideas.

There was definitely an element of that in it but there's no doubt that by the letter of the law our design was as "illegal" as that of the Brawn. To keep the top deck of the diffuser seperate from the bottom deck (a necessity for legality) there is a slot running along the floor. The rule states that you mustn't be able to see any bodywork through any voids in the floor, when viewed from below, and you clearly can. Apparently the loophole is that a slot doesn't count as a hole. Watch now as loads of cars start to feature louvred ground effects devices under the cars, the aero grip increases exponentially and the laptimes plummet - until the FIA declares it all illegal again.

[St Landrew]

Why did Renault drop their diffuser on the basis of what the race director said, Ponty..? Surely, there was an immediate higher authority..?

[Arizona]

I actually think Reb Bull are pretty quick without the DD.

 

We still haven't had a proper race yet. We finished the first behind the safety car and the second with the remaining cars drifting slowly downstream. In Oz, Vettel would have been comfortably second without the safety cars and Webber would probably have been up there but for the first corner collision.

 

Really hope things stay as they are at the moment. With Jenson winning, Toyota and Red Bull there or there abouts and Ferrari and Macca in total disarray. WOuld be nice for Kubica to get in the mix though.

[Ponty]

Why did Renault drop their diffuser on the basis of what the race director said, Ponty..? Surely, there was an immediate higher authority..?

As well as "Race Director" he is also the liaison with the FIA on legality issues, so he's exactly the right person to speak to.

[St Landrew]

As well as "Race Director" he is also the liaison with the FIA on legality issues, so he's exactly the right person to speak to.

 

Oh ok. I only ask because, if you remember, last season at Spa, when Hamilton let Raikkonen through, McLaren asked Charlie Whiting if they had done enough to satisfy the race stewards, and he said, Yes.

 

Given those examples, I would say his judgement is rather flawed.

[Ponty]

No doubt. It's a strange position as his authority counts for nothing and his opinions should be considered exactly that, an opinion.