Exactly.turbof1 wrote:From what I get, the manufacturers are infact allowed to make updates. It seems the FIA and the engine providers have a hidden deal with eachother. We often hear Renault bringing updates, and not just software ones. So even though the rules speak against it, there is some leaway.
Which is why talk of F1 being a constructors championship, with no constructors is ridiculous. It's not different to the V8 frozen engine engine Formula.
Mercedes had an initial advantage, and it eroded over time with Renault and Ferrari making changes and utilising initiative to close the gap.....in a frozen formula.
Now, teams can still change basic design components for next year. And they can also use various software codes to improve engine power and delivery, something the autosport article quotes Renault as saying.
Also, since January when the Renault PU was 70 bhp down on the Merc unit, they have almost halved the deficit to 40bhp with the introduction of a new spec engine.
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2014/04/n ... e-the-gap/
Remi Taffin had this to say.
I think the problem here is if a team dominates, and you don't dig, you complain. Or you blame the rules.We have been working on the energy management per lap, particularly in the slow corners. We know we are missing out on the straights but these new steps have given us greater traction in the turns, which should in turn extend tyre life and give greater flexibility on strategies.”
But in the context of the last 5/6 years, it's as you were I'm afraid.
And to round my point off, if we are seeing an initial slow period in the new rule set, why not help by making boost pressures higher and allow greater energy recovery stores to be used as seen fit by the driver?
This would not require a huge shift or investment, and the cars would go a couple seconds a lap quicker if the tyre provided is up to task.
) reasonable people have considered it for even one nanosecond says a lot to me about just how illogical this whole thing has become. 