Blown Diffuser clampdown: Where will Red Bull stand after it in the 2011 Formula 1 season?
Red Bull Racing team mastered a technology called Blown Diffuser for the 2011 Formula 1 season courtesy the most successful technical director in the sport’s history, Adrian Newey.
However, after much speculation and some lower ranked teams, especially Hispania Racing Team, demanding the International Automobile Federation (FIA) to pull the plug on that technology, the Diffuser will be history after the European Grand Prix on June 26, 2011.
Firstly, the ban on the Diffuser was going to take place before the Monaco Grand Prix but after Formula 1 teams appealed against it, the decision was postponed. The ban on the Diffuser is now going to be implemented from the Silverstone Grand Prix in July 2011.
But what will Red Bull lose after the Blown Diffuser is gone?
Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel and officials have said that they will not lose a lot like the other teams, but ironically, they are the only team talking about the ban on the Blown Diffuser.
Already Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel have taken five victories in the seven races of the 2011 Formula 1 season so far. Apart from that, all seven pole positions of the season have gone to Red Bull as well.
The reason behind these victories and pole positions is that Red Bull have the fastest car on the grid not only on straights but also on corners.
The Blown Diffuser works in a way that it uses the exhaust gases from the engine and releases them beneath the car in such a way that even when the driver is off throttle in corners and turns, the car does not lose any downforce. In this way, the driver can turn the car relatively faster than other cars.
Unfortunately for Red Bull though, the FIA sought out that the Diffuser is against the laws and is looking to pull the plug on the technology.
Apart from Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, Renault and some lower ranked teams have used this technology and have come up with some exceptional speeds on the track. Still Red Bull’s technical director, Adrian Newey thinks that his team will not suffer much from the diffuser clampdown.
Red Bull and other teams are supposedly going to lose some fractions on the track after the diffuser is shut down. More importantly, Red Bull drivers will have to adjust to slow down on the corners which can induce more errors from them.
Recently, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko raised an important point in defence of the Diffuser. He said that the previous two technologies used to enhance the aero capability of the car, Double Diffuser and F-duct, were banned when the seasons concluded but the Blown Diffuser is being clamped halfway through the ongoing 2011 season.
Marko also gave a hunch that maybe Ferrari will be the team to take advantage out of this controversy.
Nevertheless, Red Bull have a healthy lead in the drivers’ championship table as well as in the constructors’ championship.
The results of the Blown Diffuser clampdown are still to be seen but it is obvious that the Red Bull are feeling the heat ahead of the ban. Let’s see how much other teams can benefit from this in the remainder of the season.
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