The ban on exhaust-blown diffusers is still going ahead, according to a letter sent to the teams on Saturday morning in Canada.
The letter, detailing a revision to the regulations, was sent by the FIA’s technical delegate Charlie Whiting, explaining that the governing body believe the area has been over-exploited.
A ban will come into effect at the British Grand Prix, which takes place in just under a months time, giving the teams little time to design new diffusers which work without the benefit of exhaust gases being blown over them.
The ban aims to stop teams exploiting special engine maps which burn more fuel than is needed to create hot gas, which is fed over the diffuser to create extra downforce, even when the driver isn’t on the throttle.
Whiting believes this contravenes article 3.15 of the technical regulations which bans the use of moveable devices to aid aerodynamics.
“It became apparent to us, through examination of data, that what we thought was a fairly benign feature was turning into something that was being used, in our opinion, illegally,” he said last month.
“An exhaust system is there for the purpose of exhausting gasses from the engine and when you’re off-throttle, it isn’t doing that any more. Therefore it’s being used to influence the aerodynamic characteristics of the car. We think arguably, this infringes Article 3.15 of the technical regulations.”
Most of the grid are using hot-blown diffusers, but many believe the Red Bull and Renault system to be two of the most efficient, therefore any change is expected to have the biggest effect on the two aforementioned teams.
This mid-season change could upset the order, especially in qualifying, with Ross Brawn predicting a loss of between half a second to a full second, with other teams losing more, some less.
“In qualifying, it means a lap-time deficit of half to one second, although our race modes aren’t going to be that different,” he said.
A meeting is taking place later this week in which the technical working group will meet to discuss the changes with Whiting, however, it’s expected any concerns raised by the teams won’t have an impact on the ban, nor will it delay its introduction.
Further changes will come into force in 2012, with a total ban on the system, rather than allowing 10%, which will be allowed under the revised 2011 regulations. This will be made possible by ensuring exhausts exit at the very rear of the car.
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