Exhaust blown diffusers and FIA restrictions/ban

[WhiteBlue]

I think it was the right thing to do. The open throttle in corners is a waste of fuel. Unfortunately they have waited until the season is in full swing to do the clamp down. I agree that the most probable reason for the timing is slowing down the Red Bull.

[Ferraripilot]

Viewer ratings and the like possibly having something to do with this? People tired of seeing Red Bull out front?

[bot6]

All things considered, I do think this ban is a good thing. Like WhiteBlue said, it's a huge waste of fuel which goes against the whole "green" thing the FIA wants to bring into F1. Also, it is kind of an "active device", like the active suspension was, as there is something managed by electronics that makes the engine behave differently when the throttle is off than what it would normally do purely with driver input.

When you think about it, nothing stops a driver from going into neutral under braking and applying some throttle to blow the diffuser. Complicated, yes. Bad for the gearbox, surely. But then, having something that simulates that on the car without driver input is just another example of an active device, which are against the spirit of the current rules (no traction control, etc...). Very different from the mass damper, which to me is a clever suspension component, not an aerodynamic device, and therefore should not have been banned. But that's another story.

To me, any bit of electronics that does automatically what the driver could/should do himself should be banned under the current rules, since the point is to maximise driver influence. So the ban is a good thing, and it should have happened much sooner.

Now the big question is when were the teams notified. If they were notified in Turkey, then they have had two weeks to get some new engine maps, by no means an impossible task. If they were notified the Monday before the race, then the FIA is on crack. But I doubt that's the case.

[alelanza]

...i seem to remember macca had a new engine map this weekend (spain). i wonder if this was to improve the ebd or to fit in with the new rules...

Interesting, i always found McLaren's quotes on not being able to bring the Turkey upgrade after 3 weeks were a bit odd, people seemed to be biting their lips and in the end didn't really say anything concrete beyond 'various reasons', 'manufacturing issues', etc. I wonder if they already knew that off-throttle mappings were being banned soon and chose to redirect their efforts elsewhere.

The open throttle in corners is a waste of fuel

You realize this is F1, and as such fuel is used to go faster?

[Ferraripilot]

I have ton wonder if Whiting knew this was how RB was able to run so much rake which was in turn making their front wing flex. He tried to nail the wing situation, couldn't, so he nails the rake which allows the wing to flex. I have to wonder how much rake RB will be running this Friday now. Or if everything will essentially be the same but RB will not be carrying the same speed into a corner they are used to.

Kinky Kiley may be a biter with sharp teeth!

[EricB]

I'm very interested to see the effect of the "under braking" clarification and if/what loopholes are to be found. Can the driver apply throttle under braking utilizing a specialized engine map?

I can't remember the specifics, but wasn't there something last year about Webber being able to get the most out of the RB6 under trailing throttle, then a change was made to the car mid-season that didn't require that technique anymore and Vettel regained the advantage?

[FrukostScones]

I don't have the slightest problem with the FIA's decision. It is for all teams the same. I doubt that we will see a big impact on the pecking order. We all assume that Red Bull will suffer the most, but maybe they gain compared to the others...? I don't know, it is interesting this decision, definitly better funded on 3.15 than the mass damper decision, that was ridiclous. But now with the exhaust stream artificially forming sideskirts around the diffuser when the drivers are off-throttle, that is another thing.
I think it is legitimate, this decision, no big drama, we will see.

[donskar]

If it was to slow the Redbulls, that is garbage. You cant penalize a team because they thought of something more clever than you...seeing as it isnt against the rules.

Of course, you can. They just did. I am not a fan of RedBull (Ferrari is my car and Monster is my drink), but this stinks.

[bill shoe]

These new technical interpretations are interesting, they could be good or bad, but in the big picture-

WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK IT'S REASONABLE FOR THE FIA TO MAKE LARGE RULES RE-INTERPRETATIONS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON IN COMPLETE SECRECY?

[xpensive]

If it was to slow the Redbulls, that is garbage. You cant penalize a team because they thought of something more clever than you...seeing as it isnt against the rules.

Of course, you can. They just did. I am not a fan of RedBull (Ferrari is my car and Monster is my drink), but this stinks.

There you go Don, a page taken directly from the Nascar book, Bill France's ghost all over it, frontspoiler up and a restrictorplate to go with it if you're too fast.

[FrukostScones]

by the way, the cars with a exhaust blown diffuser will still blow it when the driver is on the throttle... or did I miss something?
So, no investments are down the drain.... and no big changes of the hardware will take place imo.

[Richard]

So it is not a ban on the EBD. It limits the open throttle to 10% of full throttle. The thread title needs to be "partial limitation on EBD"

Out of interest, what % do they currently run on open throttle?

EBD will continue.

[donskar]

These new technical interpretations are interesting, they could be good or bad, but in the big picture-

WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK IT'S REASONABLE FOR THE FIA TO MAKE LARGE RULES RE-INTERPRETATIONS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON IN COMPLETE SECRECY?

Who is this mythical EVERYONE you refer to? I think many of those who care at all are opposed to mid-season changes, including this one.

BUT those of us who care DO NOT COUNT. The powers that be are after the huge moderately interested audience, not the "geeks" and "nerds." The MBAs in suits are desperate for some intrigue, some drama -- for ANYONE NEW to compete at the front.

[hollus]

...I can't remember the specifics, but wasn't there something last year about Webber being able to get the most out of the RB6 under trailing throttle, then a change was made to the car mid-season that didn't require that technique anymore and Vettel regained the advantage?

True, Webber was faster consistently for a few races, and by Red Bull's own words, a change in the way they use the exhaust, a new engine map really, allowed Vettel to benefit more from the exhaust too. Looking at this in a different light, we have right there a rare example where we can quantify the effect of 1 individual performance factor in a car. The situation went, right then and there, from Webber being consistently about 2 tenths faster, to Vettel being about 3 tenths faster. If we assume that the engine mapping did not slow Webber down, and why should it, webber was tricking the car into optimizing the exhaust use and he could continue to do the exact same trick afterwards; then that software update alone, was worth at least those 5 tenths of difference.
A software update what gives you 5 tenths or more simply from increasing downforce... active aero if you ask me.

But changing this in the middle of the season, it is just B&#@cks. Renault must feel like collateral damage right now, paying all the packing and heating penalties for so little benefit.

[scarlet]

So it is not a ban on the EBD. It limits the open throttle to 10% of full throttle. The thread title needs to be "partial limitation on EBD"

Out of interest, what % do they currently run on open throttle?

EBD will continue.

100% in quali trim apparently.