This technical directive is quite something. With immediate effect, the FIA is banning special protective plates that around 50 percent of the teams had fitted over the skid blocks. Red Bull pointed out to the association that this practice is illegal.
It's the big issue with the ground effect cars. How deep can I drive without the skid blocks in the underbody wearing out too much due to contact with the road surface? The critical value for the screws that fix the floor panel to the car is one millimeter. Anyone who exceeds this will be disqualified, as Mercedes and Ferrari did at the 2023 US GP.
Because the downforce of the cars is heavily dependent on the height of the vehicle, the teams have come up with every conceivable trick over the last three years to protect the fastening screws as well as possible. They have experimented with insulating material between the base plate or with bolts that have a certain amount of play to cushion the impact from the track.
Red Bull discovered the trick first
The latest trick was to provide the skid-blocks, which are used for measurement by the FIA inspectors, with special protection. This applies above all to the fastening screw in the rear area of the base plate. Everyone wants to drive as low as possible in order to gain downforce.
Around 50 percent of the field believed they had found a loophole in the regulations. Red Bull was the first to discover the so-called protection plates among the competition. These are said to include Ferrari, Mercedes and Haas. World Championship opponents McLaren, on the other hand, like Red Bull, did without this practice.
What are the consequences of the ban?
Red Bull pointed out to the FIA that the trick was illegal if the rules were applied precisely and that a protest would have to be expected if there was no clarification on this issue. And this came promptly. A week before the Las Vegas GP, all teams received a letter. In a technical directive, the FIA announced that the protective skids in question were not permitted. This assessment applies with immediate effect. Ferrari would have liked to move the date to the Qatar GP, but were unable to get their way.
The teams affected now have a problem that is all the greater when the aerodynamics are specifically designed for extremely low ground clearance. Because no one can risk the skid blocks rubbing off too much, the relevant teams have to raise their vehicle height to a safe level. And that could cost one or the other a lap time.
Ferrari would have liked to move the date to the Qatar GP, but were unable to get their way.
To me it's conceivable that Red Bull themselves have known for a while. Until now it has been thoroughly beneficial for red bull that Ferrari became fast just as their car had issues, and took a lot of points from Norris by denying wins.
Who said that? An anonymous source told an AMuS journalist about it? Did Ferrari engineers go on air and say they were trying to move the date to Qatar? The Autosport article claimed that Red Bull was changing the height of the car between qualifying and the race, which led the FIA to make a circus with stickers during the broadcast. How is Autosport different from AMuS and why should we trust them all?
Ferrari wanting the date moved does not mean anything in particular. It is stated that the directive came a week ago. So it could mean they are short on time to produce new parts.jumpingfish wrote: ↑21 Nov 2024, 09:15Who said that? An anonymous source told an AMuS journalist about it? Did Ferrari engineers go on air and say they were trying to move the date to Qatar? The Autosport article claimed that Red Bull was changing the height of the car between qualifying and the race, which led the FIA to make a circus with stickers during the broadcast. How is Autosport different from AMuS and why should we trust them all?
