BMW Vertical Fins Banned

[Spencifer_Murphy]

I knew it would happen:

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=36756

So so so typical of the FIA to ban innovation

[RH1300S]

Thank goodness for that - ugly as hell. I do feel a bit sorry for BMW, it does look like they found something there..........

[DaveKillens]

So once again the FIA pulls the old "we can make immediate changes based on safety issues" trick out of the hat and bans something new.
Personally I think they make the car even uglier than normal, but that's just an aesthetic opinion. And although it is true that anything sticking out of the chassis ahead of the driver has the potential to injure in case of an accident, the same logic applies to just about any component protruding outside of the chassis. Wings, those fugly side panels ahead of the sidepod intakes, sideboards, chimneys, those eyebrow things on the Renault, same logic applies.
Just a typical application of misuse of a good rule for political reasons.

[j4kwan]

K...I know the BMW looks a lot uglier now...but...

Did FIA not approve of this a few weeks ago????? how can they just reneg on their approval so quickly without going through some appeal process?
They banned it for reasons of vision impairment WHEN all BMW drivers said there was NONE...ahahhaha FIA are such losers

How about this...instead of banning it, why not restrict the size, shape, height??? FIA probably never even thought of that. They're decisions are so black and white. My gawd.

[RH1300S]

How about this...instead of banning it, why not restrict the size, shape, height??? FIA probably never even thought of that. They're decisions are so black and white. My gawd.

They did..........no bodywork ahead of the front roll structure, which projects above the front roll structure

[RacingManiac]

I was surprised that they let it even run 1 race....I mean we all remember the wing on Arrows and Jordan a few years back at Monaco....that was banned after practice session....

[walter]

Oh well... I know I wont miss them.

[Scuderia_Russ]

So so so typical of the FIA to ban innovation

Even if it's potentially dangerous?! I bet you would have been one of the first to say that they should have been banned if Jaques Villeneuve had had his jugular severed by one in an accident last weekend!

[DaveKillens]

Good point Scuderia, I have to say you are 100% accurate.
My point is that not only can these devices be considered high potential for risk, but anything else stuck out from the chassis.

[Scuderia_Russ]

Just a typical application of misuse of a good rule for political reasons.

Political reasons?!

[bhall]

My guess is that they didn't do much to begin with, as BMW seems to have rather easily accepted the ban. I mean, if they really wanted to raise a stink over it and keep the wings, they could've made them out of a clear material to negate the hampered visibility (or is that not legal?) and tethered them to the body to make them safer in the event of a crash.

[Tom]

Surely the suspension, being much heavier and potentially sharper in an accident, should be banned aswell, although then again after Imola 1994 they were heavily revised.

I think it would have been easy to make the wings safe but i doubt they did much.

[Scuderia_Russ]

Not only is the suspension lower, alongside the car and not in front of it and connected at both ends... it is also contains a tether to prevent a wheel and thus suspension striking the driver. Totally different ball game in my opinion.

[Ted68]

If Ferrari had first shown up with them and they were allowed in one race, then they would be legal, if we are to judge from arguments from earlier this season. That is completely speculative, I know, but wasn't that the solution for allowing the tire rings and the questionable front and rear wings?

Also, they probably did have a positive effect as I remember BMW and Porsche both running vertical fences along the edges of the hood/bonnet on the 3.0 CSL and 935 both. these were to straighten the flow over the cabin to the large rear wings both cars had. i can see these ears as doing the same for improving flow around the engine cover.

[RacingManiac]

According to ITV after french GP other teams(including Ferrari and Williams) were also interested in developing stuff to the same effect. I presume they were trying to confirm it with FIA and FIA decided to curb it before it gets too crazy......