Adrian Newey: Blown Diffuser plays around FIA rules without disobeying it – Formula 1 news
Formula 1 team Red Bull’s technical director Adrian Newey has explained that the blown diffuser is not exploiting the limits of the International Automobile Federation, (FIA) but only takes the rule to the limit.
Newey also stated that the ban on the diffuser will compromise the reliability of the bigger teams in the 2011 Formula 1 season.
As the future of the blown diffusers in Formula 1 still hangs in balance, Newey explains why the diffuser is legal as far as he is concerned.
“I think the key to 3.15 is that it talks about 'driver over-run then the throttle should be closed' then in brackets 'idle speed' so it seems to be implying that the throttle should be closed at idle, which it clearly is,” explained Newey.
He added that it was not clear for what the other teams were using their diffusers for but Red Bull were certainly within the limits of the FIA.
Charlie Whiting of the FIA recently stated that blown diffusers will be banned from the races because they give the drivers an extra edge, even when they are in corners and turns.
Blown diffuser uses hot gases from engines and uses them to increase downforce in corners so drivers do not have to slow down.
Newey also explained that some teams like Renault are using diffusers to open the engines’ cooling valve in the corners which is again part of the reliability issue that cannot be dropped.
Newey said, “Obviously if other people are going further and perhaps firing the engine on the over-run then clearly exhaust valve cooling is not part of that and that would be something that presumably they would need to explain to keep Charlie happy.”
Newey was the one who brought this technology into play and now when every other high profile team has followed it, the FIA is looking to pull the plug on it.
Previously, the decision was expected before the Monaco Grand Prix but still the final verdict is yet to be made.
The Monaco qualifiers will be contested on Saturday, May 28, 2011 and teams will be looking to make full use of the blown diffusers in order to score a better result on the starting grid.
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