The FIA took seriously a suggestion from technical expert Gary Anderson in India after the former designer suggested Red Bull’s Adrian Newey might have found a way to raise the car at high-speed.
Anderson believes Newey has found a way to raise the cars floor when it is heated, i.e., when it’s travelling at speed, allowing it to run a lower overall ride-height.
Formula One Management has been trialling some new thermal cameras and they were placed on the RB9 facing backwards (see photo above).
The highlighted area shows heat spots on the ‘tea-tray’. Although normal, Anderson theorised that a special material which reacts to heat and contracts could be used to raise the floor, which would allow them to run a lower ride-height through the corners, explaining their ability to corner quicker than their rivals.
The FIA took the suggestion seriously and during scrutineering for the Indian Grand Prix, the FIA’s Jo Bauer applied heat to the floor to test the theory.
Ultimately, Bauer and the FIA found nothing and therefore the RB9 is legal in this particular area, though Anderson seems sure something clever is being done with the floor.
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