759 replies to this topic

[Victor_RO]

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/114881

 

 

Formula 1's FRIC suspension systems, believed to be one of the strengths of the dominant Mercedes car, could be banned for the German Grand Prix, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

 

 

I suspect there'll be a lot of fuss about this before Germany, then everyone will agree to disagree and the systems will be banned for 2015 in the end.

[7MGTEsup]

Oh dear mid season rule changes again?

[TomNokoe]

Come on F1

[hollowstar]

Wow. I'm surprised it took the FIA a year and a half.

[charly0418]

yep, FIA trying to level the championship as much as possible for the rest of the year.

 

Don't know how it impacts other teams but for Force India this is good news as the one they tested never worked

[Tuxy]

Why ban it?

[RonnyRonny]

So Mercedes, RedBull and lotus to be worst effected?

[Wifey]

Why ban it?

Because merc are believed to now have the best version and it could potentially slow them down a lot

[athlon]

Ridiculous attempt from FIA to save the rest of the season.

[DutchQuicksilver]

Why ban it?

Because Mercedes is too dominant.

[Richard T]

Good move!

[GrumpyYoungMan]

We do not need this!

 

Mid Season rule changes are a bad idea especially with limited/no test time...

[RonnyRonny]

Imagine it increased Mercedes advantage?

[onewingedangel]

Why now? If the concept of linking the suspension system in this manner is flawed it should have been clarified/banned when first implemented, not once a lot of development has been undertaken.

 

Another example of the rulemakers not having any interest in controlling costs in any meaningful way.

[TomNokoe]

"If unanimous support is not reached, then Whiting has made it clear that from the next race in Germany, any team running FRIC risks being reported to the stewards by the FIA for non-compliance with the regulations."

Edited by TomNokoe, 08 July 2014 - 16:21.

[Gridfire]

Woo yeah, I'm all for this. Not because it's sporting to change the rules mid-season, but because it might make my favourite team more competitive with the faster cars 

[GoldenColt]

I guess we all saw that coming, didn't we?

 

Mercedes are way too dominant.

[NoSanityClause]

Welcome back, 2006!

[xflow7]

Morons.  This is mass-damper all over again.

 

Look.  Everything affects the aerodynamics.  Might as well ban the tires because they increase in diameter at speed and that changes the pitch and ride-height of the car...

 

Edited by xflow7, 08 July 2014 - 16:22.

[masa90]

Wow haha was not expecting this. Even if i have moaned quite a bit about teams being too dominant and differences too big->this is still ridiculous. Why always just restrict, open up stuff more to allow people to develop different stuff and not just cut back on people who got it right.

[Fonzey]

Is this something that can be feasibly removed mid-season? It seems to me that the FRIC system is a fundamental part of the chassis, and not something that can be just unbolted between race weekend!?

[P123]

Obviously the motivation is to spice things up in the championship. It will be interesting to see who benefits and who loses out, if there will be change at all.

[charly0418]

"If unanimous support is not reached, then Whiting has made it clear that from the next race in Germany, any team running FRIC risks being reported to the stewards by the FIA for non-compliance with the regulations."

 

so its pretty much gone, at least half the teams will want it gone as they don't have it

[Hanzo]

I can't wait to hear Niki Lauda's opinion about this 

[pRy]

Why do I always find myself thinking of scenes like this when this sort of thing happens: https://www.youtube....h?v=DTtpWgrhS78

[maverick69]

Last time they farked about with the suspension like that in a knee jerk reaction - they ended up with their star driver dead.

 

At least give the teams time to change their "concept"........ like 2016.

 

Hell, they can even bring in the 18" wheels at the same time......

[GrumpyYoungMan]

Imagine it increased Mercedes advantage?

Maybe thats there secret they have scrapped there FRIC... lol! I doubt it though!

 

But what implications could there be to tyre usage and speed? What does it do to laptime(s)?

[RockyRaccoon68]

Haven't some teams had this for years?!  Why change now?

 

This will cause a stir in the run up to Germany and then halfway through FP2 the teams will agree to leave it until 2015!

[maverick69]

Maybe thats there secret they have scrapped there FRIC... lol! I doubt it though!

 

But what implications could there be to tyre usage and speed? What does it do to laptime(s)?

 

They defo "simplified" it. But the car (and most others) is designed around it.

Edited by maverick69, 08 July 2014 - 16:30.

[dweller23]

Why ban it?

Because it's an innovation.

[FastnLoud]

NO CHANCE getting in banned before Germany or even Hungary, the FIA may give teams until after the break to stop using FRIC - to be honest, Mercedes advantage is more about their suspension, its aero, engine, engine layout/weight distribution for balance, traction but it will hurt them alot because they are meant to be running the best system on the grid

[Mackey]

Not feeling bad for Mercedes. They gained massively last year from the illegal Pirelli test and change of tyres.

Let´s hope this balance the field a little bit.

[maverick69]

I can tell you now that FRIC is just a tiny bit of the Mercs performance. It's defo not working at the level it was last year - because it would be playing havoc with the rear BBW (at this stage).

 

Perhaps the FIA are anticipating a team fully, perfectly integrating the FRICS with the BBW....... and going fully fast. 

[xflow7]

Who cares about who it hurts or helps?  Making a mid-season change to an interpretation of the rules that has been established and accepted for at least a couple of years is a disgrace for *any* sporting series - let alone one that bills itself as top-level and technology-based.

 

It's actually even worse than the mass-damper.  While still wrong, IMO, at least in that case it concerned a device that was new that year.  The FRIC arrangement is old-hat in F1 terms.

 

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[DarthWillie]

so the mercedes at least, is illegal, wow, Time to take away the wins with that illegal car then   

[xflow7]

WTF is BBW? 

[Oho]

Welcome back, 2006!

 

or 1998, or 2000, those from the top of my mind as an at the time avid Häkkinen supporter...

Edited by Oho, 08 July 2014 - 16:53.

[Victor_RO]

WTF is BBW? 

 

Brake-by-wire.

[GoldenColt]

or 1998, or 2000, those form the top of my mind as an at the time avid Häkkinen supporter...

 

Why 2000?

[Fonzey]

WTF is BBW? 

Brake by Wire

[Oho]

WTF is BBW? 

 

Use the google.. you might be surprised...

 

I was when I looked for LaTex macro packages...

[Clatter]

The only surprise here for me is that it's taken so long for the FIA to act. I believed the system to be against the rules as soon as it was announced, but it appears only when a team gets a competitive advantage that the FIA does anything.

[item3785]

All this does is highlight just how inept Whiting and the FIA are.

[FastnLoud]

so the mercedes at least, is illegal, wow, Time to take away the wins with that illegal car then   

 

and while they are at it take away all of Redbull's championships or just say don't have that for the next race and continue saying so for the whole season

[Timstr11]

Team must have seen this coming. The letter is just the formal notice. Otherwise it's very very short notice as it's not something you can just remove from the car I reckon.

 

Dumbing down the sport again.

 

It will obviously make the cars even slower than they already are.

 

And for those who are cheering, it's not just Mercedes...

 

 "Having now seen and studied nearly every current design of front to rear linked suspension system we, the FIA, are formally of the view that the legality of all such systems could be called into question."

Edited by Timstr11, 08 July 2014 - 16:51.

[Diablobb81]

How many years have they've been working on it? And it was suspicious the first time it was mentioned.

Edited by Diablobb81, 08 July 2014 - 16:52.

[Oho]

Why 2000?

 

Early season changes in engine management and sensoring. The move actually ended up hurting both Ferrari and McLaren but it did seem like aimed at slowing down Häkkinen who grabbed three poles in the first three races.

[superden]

Is this a joke? It may, or may not balance the field a little but who cares, its contrived bullsh*t.

 

Yes, lets remove an integral part of many cars design, mid-season, with no sufficient testing available. Why not go all out and simply hold a lottery to decide who wins races, that will add some uncertainty and 'spice' to the championship. I've been watching for 30 years and have seen some monumentally bad decisions and lacklustre leadership but I cannot remember, at any point, feeling quite so irritated at how the sport I follow is being run.

Edited by superden, 08 July 2014 - 16:53.

[Nemo1965]

Wasn't there a rule somewhere that the FIA could only bann techniques if they were either clearly in breach of the regulations or out of 'safety-reasons'?

 

The massdampers, back then, were seen as aerodynamic instruments (haha!).

 

Where's Redreni when you need him?

[xmoonrakerx]

Maybe ferrari behind this?