xpensive wrote:Aware this a long shot, but can we possiby agree that FIA allowing the DDD was a serious mistake, before we move on?
Just to make sure we are on the same page, Islam, WB?
Unless I'm badly mistaken the final decision wasn't made by the FIA but by the ICA, but that is a mere technicality. I agree that allowing DDDs was totally against the spirit of the work that had been carried out for three years and culminated in the OWG proposals.
I suspect that there may have been tactical considerations at work at several stages of the rule making process. It is documented that Ross Brawn warned against loop holes in the 2009 aero rules when they were conceived in 2007. It is also not logical that the FIA technical delegate let those systems pass in 2008 when they were first presented to him. The infringement of the rule spirit is totally obvious and of much greater impact than a mass damper, a flexible wing, deforming tyres, brake steer or a moving floor.
All these conflicting technologies were eventually stopped because they were against the desired development direction and either McLaren or Ferrari made a protest. The confederation was not directly involved in the consequences and made a decision with a view on the long term impact.
It is even more difficult to understand why the discretionary power of the federation wasn't used in the fall and winter of 2008 to rectify the foolish wording of the diffuser rules. One can only speculate why this took place. The power play between FIA and FOTA is often cited as an explanation. Some people think that the FIA wanted to punish the exponents of FOTA (top teams) who missed the boat on DDDs for a conflicting strategy on cost limiting and new teams. If this is really what happened one can only be sad for it. It has send the technology in a completely different direction. 2009 could have been fought on KERS if the DDD issue had been decided the other way. To come back to the topic of Sauber a different outcome could also have had a big impact on the eventual decision of the BMW board to exit F1.
At the moment it looks as if 2010 could see another big mistake. FOTA demands that engines should not be performance differentiators and that fuel consumption is equalized. I do not agree at all with this. It can only serve to stall all development towards more fuel efficient engines as the diffusor issue has increased performance instead of fuel efficiency.