FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[darwin dali]

The 'F-duct' system is set to be one-season wonder after teams opted to ban the controversial device from 2011.

McLaren's rivals have been up in arms ever since their use of the device, which stalls air flow to the rear wing and gives the MP4-25 an estimated 6mph speed advantage down the straights, came to light during the season opener in Bahrain.

Red Bull's technical guru Adrian Newey even claimed it was dangerous saying "to force a driver to make a sudden movement to change normal load conditions has to do with safety".

Despite their protests, though, the FIA declared the aerodynamic device legal and that promoted a host of teams to copy the 'F-duct'.

However, the Formula One Teams Association decided to ban the system from next year during a meeting in Spain on Sunday.

According to BBC Sport, 'McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, the chairman of Fota, confirmed that the teams had voted to ban the systems.

'Before the meeting, McLaren had written a letter to all the teams saying that they felt banning the system was the wrong thing to do. But their plea was rejected.'

[scotty]

Unsurprising... it was inevitably going to draw a stalemate once all teams had it anyway. It's a shame for McLaren though, they've worked on it for a lot longer than everyone else.

[racechick]

First KERS now the Fduct. Make you wonder if its really worth trying to make a new innovative idea work doesnt it

[darwin dali]

First KERS now the Fduct. Make you wonder if its really worth trying to make a new innovative idea work doesnt it

In all likelihood KERS will be back in some shape or form.

[Frosty]

lol oh well probably for the best I bet some teams are coming up with some ludicrous devices for next season.

[racechick]

Cant make their mind up can they.Why ban it in the first place??

[bud]

so banning double decker diffusers, now F ducts, i thought F1 was about innovation. now it seems if youre too innovative the teams can vote your concept out now because of their teams Association.

[racechick]

so banning double decker diffusers, now F ducts, i thought F1 was about innovation. now it seems if youre too innovative the teams can vote your concept out now because of their teams Association.

Exactly!!

[scotty]

They're talking about this on the BBC F1 forum just now. Nick Fry actually made a lot of well reasoned points. Nick Fry. WTF?!

[f1ea]

First KERS now the Fduct. Make you wonder if its really worth trying to make a new innovative idea work doesnt it

even worse; once everyone copies it, its not innovative anymore... so they had an advantage for a couple of races (would have been fewer had the season started in europe), after working on a concept for yrs... not so nice.

[FerrariFan63]

First KERS now the Fduct. Make you wonder if its really worth trying to make a new innovative idea work doesnt it

Actually, in this case the teams and FIA seem to be following the best strategy. Teams get a competitive advantage when they invent a new system such as an f-duct. The advantage remains only as long as it takes other teams to understand and duplicate the systems. After that, the systems do not give a continued advantage but simply add complexity to the cars. Banning the systems at the end of a year does not affect the competitive advantage a team receives for inventing the system because that is long gone anyhow. So the ban just simplifies the cars. Which is a positive in my book. What is, in my opinion, unfair is where legal systems are banned mid-season, which puts the innovating team on the back foot. It was said that Tyrrell, the inventor of the X-Wings, suffered most when they were banned because its cars were fundamentally designed to use the wings, and others weren't. Imagine what the cars would be like if all these innovations, completely unrealated to road cars, were allowed to remain, and the complexity of cars built up and up and up, with all sorts of Mickey Mouse contraptions on the cars.

But there is definitely a big advantage to innovating. McLaren has received a lot of benefit from its f-duct in the races to now. And Brawn more or less won the championship last year based upon a single innovation.

[billindenver]

I would like to see some mickey mouse contraptions on some cars. Perhaps then they wouldn't all be carbon copied duplicates of each other and we might see some overtaking. If the cars aren't capable of overtaking, and the drivers are penalized if an overtaking maneuver results in anything that raises an eyebrow.....won't we just continue to see one follow the leader race after another?

Frozen engines, basically frozen aerodynamics, spec'd tires...tell me, where is the innovation that would make F1 the pinnacle they so often claim to be? Everything is spec'd. Honestly, it's looking more and more like Nascar with right hand turns to me. I'm not a McLaren lover by any means but I applaud any team with the balls to attempt an innovation these days. Where is the cutting edge of motorsport? Anyone want to bet on whether or not there is a single overtake next week?

Honestly, Australian V8 Supercars is a far more exciting series these days.

[Gaz]

Bill wern't you critizing Lewis only a few weeks ago for dodgy defending now you want some racing action?

[billindenver]

Bill wern't you critizing Lewis only a few weeks ago for dodgy defending now you want some racing action?

The fact that you don't see the difference between blatant blocking and technical changes to induce passing just shows how ignorant of racing you are

[Gaz]

Bill wern't you critizing Lewis only a few weeks ago for dodgy defending now you want some racing action?

The fact that you don't see the difference between blatant blocking and technical changes to induce passing just shows how ignorant of racing you are

No i ment this:

and the drivers are penalized if an overtaking maneuver results in anything that raises an eyebrow

Go back to your xbox