TheChad wrote:The rear ones on the Toyota (and others) do not. I think they get around the movable aero aid rule because there primary purpose is brake cooling.
As long as they are stationary they get around the rule because of that and that alone. They are there to guide the air out into the air stream for the maximum benefit of the cooling and the aerodynamic package.
This was an area clarified by the rules in 2006 (IIRC) as teams were adding aero control fins with ridiculously tiny or nonexistent inlets. To prevent lots of arguments, the rules were clarified to allow any bodywork within the area outlined in the rules
As a result, any bodywork within the envelope of the wheel, reaching forwards to front perimeter of the tyre and an area inboard of the wheel (where the inlet scoop sits) is considered a brake duct and is exempt from movable aero rules. They do not even have to prove they are for brake cooling. Most of the devices we have seen are for aero control, they smooth the flow off the wider front wing improving flow to the rear of the car.
