Wednesday, March 22, 2006
# posted by Rich @ 12:48 AM
Winging it
A contentious issue arose over the course of the Malaysian GP weekend - the subject of wings. Several teams have apparently noticed that the wings of two teams (no names mentioned, of course) were flexing quite a bit at high speeds.
The onboard cameras from Bahrain and Malaysia have shown both the McLaren and Ferrari rear wings apparently bending or flexing. However, the biggest controversy seems to have surrounded Ferrari. Not only does their rear wing lack a post to connect the lower element to the upper element (which supposedly alows the upper element to move and close the slot gap between the elements), but the upper layer of the front wing appears to separate from the nose cone and twist.
So why the controvery? Well, according to the rulebook moveable aerodynamic devices are banned, and have been since the late 60s. Add to that the fact that Ferrari is involved, andyou can see whay it is stirring up some irritations from the other teams. Indeed 8 teams signed a letter asking for action from the FIA. The FIA responded by saying they will address the situation by Melbourne.
This, I have to say, is not good enough. When BAR (as they were then) were accused of cheating by the FIA (which they weren't - they made a mistake based on an interpretation of the rules, which is not the same as cheating), the FIA morphed into a ton of bricks and promptly fell on BAR. The FIA seem rather laxadaisical about the current controversy, and I can't help but feel that the punishment, if there is any, will be extremely lenient.
This whole situation may urn out to be a storm in a teacup, but regardless the end result should be fair and even application of the rules...
The onboard cameras from Bahrain and Malaysia have shown both the McLaren and Ferrari rear wings apparently bending or flexing. However, the biggest controversy seems to have surrounded Ferrari. Not only does their rear wing lack a post to connect the lower element to the upper element (which supposedly alows the upper element to move and close the slot gap between the elements), but the upper layer of the front wing appears to separate from the nose cone and twist.
So why the controvery? Well, according to the rulebook moveable aerodynamic devices are banned, and have been since the late 60s. Add to that the fact that Ferrari is involved, andyou can see whay it is stirring up some irritations from the other teams. Indeed 8 teams signed a letter asking for action from the FIA. The FIA responded by saying they will address the situation by Melbourne.
This, I have to say, is not good enough. When BAR (as they were then) were accused of cheating by the FIA (which they weren't - they made a mistake based on an interpretation of the rules, which is not the same as cheating), the FIA morphed into a ton of bricks and promptly fell on BAR. The FIA seem rather laxadaisical about the current controversy, and I can't help but feel that the punishment, if there is any, will be extremely lenient.
This whole situation may urn out to be a storm in a teacup, but regardless the end result should be fair and even application of the rules...
Labels: Formula 1
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Yeah, the same thing was happening to Raikkonen last year (I think). But a flexible mirror is more of a hindrance than a help I am sure - ever tried seeing something in a mirror that is bouncing up at down when you are going 200 mph? Either way, it is probably just a function of making the parts thin to keep the weight down.
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