Hooray - Diffusers 2010

[Speshal]

and lo, it starts again

I thought they shored up the regs on diffusers last season but as it was done through the courts as the season was under way it was bound to be a fudge.

This is the first season where the designers (Brawn et al excluded) have been able to fully incorporate the double diffuser/floor in their design and no doubt there will be some differences in "interpretation" of the regulations. So I fully expect the start of what could be a truly memorable season to be mired in FIA hearings etc etc

McLaren didn't bolt theirs to the car for the launch so they may have something up their exhaust pipes and Ferrari are already moaning.

"We were and still are convinced that the double diffuser concept was illegal," Ferrari technical director Aldo Costa told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We feel there may still be interpretation over this, as the rules leave the door open to many possibilities. It's up to the FIA to supervise, but we are rather worried."

Piero Ferrari added: "I expect a Ferrari worthy of the title, unless someone interprets the rules differently."

Sounds like Ferrari can't get theirs to work then

Linky

So are designers allowed a free reign as long as it's within the regulations or should they stick to the spirit of the sport (whatever that may be) IMO - This is meant to be the pinnacle of car design and any advantage you can exploit to gain a tenth should be fair game as long as it within the rules.

 

[FB]

It's such a shame. The FIA had the chance to resolve this after Australia last year and ducked it. If they had taken it head on in '09 the season could have been much closer rather than the parade we had to endure. The FIA has to be able to interpret both the word AND the spirit of the regulations and if they don't why bother writing them? Example, the Lotus 88 was legal to the word of the regulations but was banned for not being in the spirit of them, why not the double diffuser?

 

[teabagyokel]

"We were and still are convinced that the double diffuser concept was illegal," Ferrari technical director Aldo Costa told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We feel there may still be interpretation over this, as the rules leave the door open to many possibilities. It's up to the FIA to supervise, but we are rather worried."

Piero Ferrari added: "I expect a Ferrari worthy of the title, unless someone interprets the rules differently."

Paraphrasing:

COSTA: We can't get our diffuser to work
PIERO FERRARI: We will win the title, unless someone builds a better car than us!

Medal to Piero for stating the b***** obvious, medal to Costa for excrement of the male cattle.

 

[snowy]

Surely they can't know whether their diffuser is a lemon or not? They don't start testing until Monday...

 

[Speshal]

Surely they can't know whether their diffuser is a lemon or not? They don't start testing until Monday...

They have these things called "wind tunnels" and CFD

 

[LifeW12]

The double diffuser is what made the cars harder to overtake then the 08 cars. Its an interpretation of the rules that were written by the failed OWG changes and its the spirit of the rules that caused all the uproar.