UPDATE: Decision announced, Diffusers Are Legal
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If you are confused about the rules governing the diffusers you are not the only one but one person who understands them perfectly is Ross Brawn which is quite likely why the Brawn GP cars are doing so well.
It has recently emerged that Ross Brawn approached the Overtaking Working Group (OWG), the the group of engineers that were working to design the new 2009 regulations, more than a year ago and informed them that these regulations were open to being exploited in and Ross even suggested fixes to the rules to prevent this whole saga from occurring in the first place. However the OWG which consisted of top engineers from several Formula One teams did not address his concerned and they are now paying the price.
So whats this business all about? Well I have done my best to explain it all in layman’s terms below, if you want a more technical description then read this blog entry but its pretty heavy duty stuff so if your less technically minded I think my attempt will probably do you just fine. ![:D](http://www.brawngpblog.co.uk/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
What Is a Diffuser?
A Formula One car is basically like a big upside down aircraft wing, on an aircraft wing air flows quickly over the top and slowly underneath which causes low pressure above the wing and generates lift. A Formula One needs to do the opposite and to do this the aerodynamics on the car force air to travel quickly underneath and slowly over the top. The diffuser is part of the floor of the that sweeps up beneath the rear wing and its purpose is to slow down the air rushing out from underneath the car to something similar to the speed of the air flowing over the top of the car. This reduces drag and improves down force and the larger the volume of the diffuser the more effective it is.
Why Could It Be Illegal?
The dispute centers around the wording of a regulation that defines the dimensions of the rear diffuser. The rule defines a box with set dimensions that the diffuser most not exceed and thus limiting its volume and effectiveness. The teams using the controversial diffuser have found a way round this ruling by utilizing the rear crash structure as an aerodynamic devise. By cutting a hole in the top of the rear diffuser some of the air passes up through the hole, the rear crash structure is then shaped to channel the escaping air much the same as the diffuser would but outside the box that limits the size of the diffuser. So basically these teams have a rear diffuser and then on top of it they have an aerodynamic devise which has similar properties to a diffuser but which critically is defined as the ‘rear crash structure’ and so is exempt from these regulations. Williams Diffuser Design | McLaren Diffuser Design
Why Don’t the Other Teams Do It?
In short there is nothing stopping them from doing it, the FIA have already rules that it is legal and in all likely hood the other teams are already working on their own versions, however the argument of the other teams is that this exploit goes against the spirit of the regulations. The purpose of these new rules is to improve overtaking by reducing turbulent air behind a car which adversely effects other following cars. However the controversial diffuser design increases turbulent air and thus makes it more difficult for a following car to stay close.
What Happens If The Court Rules It Illegal?
As it stands Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams are racing under appeal, if on the 14th April the court finds that the diffusers are illegal then all three teams will lose any points that have been scored in the first two races. All three teams will then have to redesign their diffusers to fall in line with what the other teams are doing. Some people have said the controversial diffusers could be worth up to half a second a lap and that theory seems to be backed up by the results in the first two races with the three teams among the front runners.
What Happens If The Court Rules It Is Legal?
If the court rules it is legal then the three teams will of course keep their points but it doesn’t mean they will keep their advantage. The fact is, if found legal the remaining seven teams will certainly introduce their own versions of the diffusers before long. This will undoubtedly bunch up the pack with the cars which introduce the new design joining Brawn and co at the front. This doesn’t mean however that Brawn will drop down the field, the BGP001 is a fast car controversial diffuser or not, it just means that there will be more competition and it will make it harder for our boys to win races.
What Is The Likely Outcome?
I would say it is almost certain that the court will rule in favor of the three teams that are using this style of diffuser. They may not be in the spirit of the regulations they are technically legal and it is extremely rare for the court of appeal to overturn an FIA ruling so the chances are the diffusers will stay. Probably a bigger issue surrounding the outcome of the hearing is what this will do to FOTA (Formula One Teams Association). Since uniting under one banner the Formula One teams have found themselves with a lot of power and can no longer be pushed around by Max Mosely and Bernie Ecclestone. A good example of this was before the start of the season the teams managed to force Bernie Ecclestone to pay up TV revenue money he was withholding from them in an attempt to get them to sign a new Concorde agreement. However now the teams are in a dispute with each other this could threaten the stability of FOTA and could hand the power back to Bernie and Max so for their own sake they need to get over this and move on as quickly as possible.
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