Martin Whitmarsh: FIA should have waited until December to decide Diffuser ban – Formula 1
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has criticised International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) decision to relax the off-throttle rules regarding the Blown Diffuser for the Red Bull team during the Silverstone Grand Prix of the 2011 Formula 1 season.
Whitmarsh stated that the FIA should have waited until the end of the 2011 Formula 1 season to decide about the Diffuser ban rather than modifying their decision.
Previously, engine manufacturers Renault talked to the FIA about the reliability of the their engines after which the Federation handed them a relaxation by which they can now use 50 percent off-throttle gases to cool down their exhaust valves.
The previous limit on the diffuser was just 10 percent which would be applicable for every other engine manufacturer. However, Renault-powered teams will still be using exhaust gases to cool down their engines and to produce downforce as a secondary output of the Diffuser.
Whitmarsh believes that the decision is causing confusion more than providing solutions and one team will benefit more than others.
“At the moment, I think potentially a lot of teams will end up making an argument to cold blow. Renault have been in that domain for some time, other teams haven't and don't have that experience but we're talking about a very substantial performance benefit here,” commented Whitmarsh.
He further added that, “When the goalposts are moving partway through a practice session, then I think it makes it quite difficult. I think that with the benefit of hindsight, it would have been better to make changes at year end which I think Christian would agree.”
On the other hand, Mercedes engine uses Over-run technology to cool down their engines and also to produce some downforce in corners. This is something the Red Bull boss Christian Horner also criticised and said that some teams will still be getting away with the off-throttle downforce in one way or the other.
Nevertheless, the FIA has once again revised its decision regarding the Diffuser. In addition, Charlie Whiting is set to meet all the engine manufacturers and rules are expected to change once more before the qualifiers for the Silverstone Grand Prix. Let's see how it transpires on Saturday, July 9, 2011.
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