Teams opt not to run FRIC in Germany
The FIA has officially confirmed that none of the 22 F1 cars present at Hockenheim for this weekend's German Grand Prix are fitted with a front to rear interlinked suspension system.
The use of FRIC, as the system is called, came under threat following a letter from FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting, writing to teams early last week that careful investigation of all the teams' systems proved they were deemed moveable aerodynamic devices.
The news put teams running the system under danger of being reported to the scrutineers, soon triggering McLaren and then Red Bull Racing and Mercedes to announce they would not run their system, removing any links that exist between the front and the rear suspension. Side to side coupling is of course still allowed by means of a well known an anti-roll bar.
All other teams have apparently followed, with a short statement from FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer stating: “I can confirm that no car is fitted with a front to rear linked suspension system of any sort.”
The concensus among teams though appears that the removal of the system will have little to no impact on the relative performance of teams, although those chasing Mercedes are hopeful the removal will allow them to get closer to the front. It is widely known that Mercedes has or had one of the more complex systems, but it is unknown whether it also brought the most benefit.
