Formula 1 to ban controversial 'F-duct' in 2011
Formula One teams have agreed to ban from 2011 the so-called 'F-duct' pioneered controversially by McLaren this season to give Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button a straight-line speed advantage. Other teams, notably Ferrari in Spain this weekend, have rushed out their own versions of the system triggering fears for safety as well as an expensive new 'arms race' just when the sport is trying to slash costs. The controversy has echoed last season's furore over the use of double-diffusers, now adopted by all teams but also outlawed for 2011.
The systems appear to be operated by drivers temporarily diverting the airflow to stiffen the rear wing and reduce drag by blocking a vent in the cockpit with their hands or knees.
Ferrari's double world champion Fernando Alonso could be seen taking a hand off the steering wheel while accelerating at around 300kph down the Barcelona straight.
"It's a clever piece of engineering and hats off to the guys who invented it but some of the solutions this weekend look a little bit marginal when I see drivers driving with fingertips and no hands basically," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
"I think there is a safety issue and a cost issue to take into account," he told reporters.
Source: Formula 1 to ban controversial 'F-duct' in 2011
The systems appear to be operated by drivers temporarily diverting the airflow to stiffen the rear wing and reduce drag by blocking a vent in the cockpit with their hands or knees.
Ferrari's double world champion Fernando Alonso could be seen taking a hand off the steering wheel while accelerating at around 300kph down the Barcelona straight.
"It's a clever piece of engineering and hats off to the guys who invented it but some of the solutions this weekend look a little bit marginal when I see drivers driving with fingertips and no hands basically," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
"I think there is a safety issue and a cost issue to take into account," he told reporters.
Source: Formula 1 to ban controversial 'F-duct' in 2011
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