FIA says confusion over off-throttle Blown Diffuser finally over – Formula 1 news
Technical director of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Charlie Whiting has said that the officials have cleared the issues regarding the off-throttle Blown Diffuser ban and now the teams will not protest against the FIA decision.
“We are optimistic that there will be no protests over any engine mapping and exhaust tailpipe issues this season. In addition to the main part of the agreement reached in the TWG [Technical Working Group] meetings it was also agreed that no team would raise
a protest against another on these matters for the rest of the season,” he said.
The 2011 Formula 1 British Grand Prix was completed with a cloud of confusion as the teams were not aware whether they will be allowed to use the Blown Diffusers on their respective cars or not. After a number of discussions and reversals in decisions, the
FIA finally decided after the British Grand Prix that the rules and regulations used for the European Grand Prix will be enforced now for the remainder of the 2011 season.
During the last race in Silverstone, the teams were not allowed to use the off-throttle Blown Diffusers. However, there were rumours that the FIA is only using this decision to end Red Bull Racing team’s dominance which for some is quite absurd.
According to Whiting though, this matter was initiated by the FIA in order to decrease the extreme pace difference between the teams.
“We were concerned that exhaust tailpipes were being positioned and engine maps created with the primary objective of improving in the aerodynamic performance of the car,” he added.
However, he admitted that the regulation change regarding engine mapping did create some further problems for the teams as this matter is not as simple as it sounds.
The team that was affected the most as a result of these rule changes during the British Grand Prix was McLaren as they were unable to cope up with Red Bull Racing and Ferrari and their pace dropped quite evidently especially during qualifying.
The upcoming race is expected to take place in Germany and it is believed that the teams will compete throughout the rest of the season without any further rule change.
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