The ban will put an end to this unusual sight...
There’s no doubt that Renault – currently a solid fourth in the World Championship – will suffer more than most when the FIA bans its innovative side exhaust for 2012.
On Saturday the FIA’s Charlie Whiting wrote to the teams about blown diffusers, and while a clampdown on hot and cold blowing from Silverstone onwards caught most of the attention, the letter included a huge change to the exhaust rules for next year.
The plan is to have basic designs that exit behind the diffuser, and thus can have no impact on it. That will mean an end to the system run by Renault this year, although of course everyone else will have to start afresh too.
The details will be discussed at Thursday’s meeting of the Technical Working Group in London, but the FIA is believed to be intent on pushing through the main points. Technical rule changes for 2012 have to be fixed by June 30.
“I can feel what McLaren felt when they decided to ban the F-Duct!,” team boss Eric Boullier told this blog in Canada. “To be honest we’re not thinking too much about it. But when you want to go one route, if the FIA is changing the rules, we have to stick to the rules. We need to understand the exact reason, but if at the end the decision is to ban these systems, we’ll work on something else.”
The shorter term clampdown for the British GP affects engine mapping rather than hardware, and teams will still be able to get some benefit.
“It’s definitely a change, and if we can make it work differently on our car, we’ll do everything we can. We need to understand exactly what Charlie wants to ban.”
Adam Cooper F1 
I’d like to see Ferrari, Mercedes, or Renault take one of their road cars and try blowing exhaust onto the floor or sides to see if the could reduce separation, thus drag a la golfball-dimples. That could be construed as poking the FIA, but I see potential for different types of exhaust entering road car technology once people realize we’re not going to be powering cars with water and butterflies in 10 years. Think of how much petrol/gasoline/diesel is burnt on highways/motorways across the world trying to pull a car away from the drag it creates rather than just moving the car forward? Don’t all those manufacturers also build trucks/lorries?
(Sorry for all the “/”s, I’m trying to make sure all the english dialects can understand what I’m saying. haha.)
It’s to be banned in 2012, but reduced to only 10% when off throttle from silverstone onwards
Just a thought now I’ve actually seen a picture of the Renault exhaust in action. Do you think the side exhausts create a more turbulent wake (ie ‘dirtier’ air) behind the car in order to make it a more difficult car to pass? I only make this connection because people seem to get stuck behind them more than they do other cars, but I acknowledge that I am probably completely wrong 🙂
Hi Adam I am a bit confused with all these Groups/ Commissions…
I only know of a “Technical Working Group” and it’s within the FOTA… So what has Charlie (FIA Technical Delegate) to do with that ?
I know of the FIA F1 Commission, and of a sub-comittee called the Sporting Working Group. I have difficulties in understanding how Charlie could decide anything in the name of the FIA without any internal committee/commission (whatever !) being involved.
Could you clarify this for me, and your readers please
Many thanks in advance sir 😉