Delay of official decision on McLaren wing

They didn't learn a thing last year did they. I mean the FIA.

As far as the teams go, apparently what they have learned is to come up with some idea so arcane and unique, that it will stop the FIA in its tracks, and allow any advantage to continue (even just a psychological advantage)

jay

 

No matter which way they decide I'm always left with the feeling that the decision is politically not engineering based.
Or am I totally off and its more monetarily based ?

 

I find it completely strange they are delaying anything considering Mclaren had Fia involvement and approval the entire time they were designing the wing. As in, they said, "hey Fia I wanna do this, is that ok"? and they said 'yes' forever ago now.

 

Does anyone have a higher resolution picture of the wing in question. It's kind of hard to see on the website that is linked.

 

Not exactly high res but you can see it as the black line on the wing.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Well I really hope this is not the case, if micro-management spoils this season ....I might end up institutionalized.

 

This is the whole problem with the FIA.

Has anyone actually protested the wing? Red Bull said they weren't that concerned, and Ferrari says they didn't protest. So what prompted Charlie Whiting to go look at it and the FIA to "make a decision"?

This is the SAME FIA that said they could do nothing about the Toyota employees who stole Ferrari data because nobody filed a formal complaint, and without a complaint they can't do anything.

Supposedly.

I think the FIA owes it to McLaren to give them an answer immediately, and if they can't, then the team should have a reasonable time to effect a solution is a solution is indeed required. You can't tell someone after the fact that you decided something is illegal and you're going to have to dock them points for using it.

Well, the FIA can. And they do. And that's the problem.

 

+1

Also the fact it costs money and what are the aims of the FIA of late: there banging on about saving MONEY keeping the costs down, you can bet all the other teams are working on a similar wing, and COULD be wasting millions, if deemed illegal, seems nothing has changed!! wake up Todt are you listening!!

 

At one stage during testing Mclaren fitted sensors to the rear wing and cockpit duct. Hamilton was quickly 5 to 11 seconds faster than everyone else. This looks like Team Mac thought of it first, and if others dont prtest they will be left behind..

 

is that the thing in question? the F1 technical piece was talking about the lower element of the rear wing structure... the wing right behind the exhaust, sitting on top of the diffuser...a little flap causes air to stall...

http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2010/0/720.html

 

Well there is that much stuff on it now it must be old hat amongst the teams, and they have all got one or versions of it, just wish the FIA could put crap like this to bed pronto and get on with it.

 

So we have got rid of Max and yet the Ferrari IA is still continuing the anti-McLaren bullsh!t ... just pathetic.

When will they realise that McLaren add important and long lasting competition to Ferrari and without them both there is no F1. Let the better win!!!
Pete

 

I saw a piece where that was described as "the slot" not a flap.

 

5 to 11 secs ?
Thats like light-speed.
Sure its not top end MPH or something else.

PS; I believe the problem to be with a body part that stalls the wing at speed thus reducing drag.
Not the wing itself. Or thats what I have read in another thread here.

Great idea BTW.
Its one of those "why didnt I think of that"s.

 

yeah, that's what the F1 technical article was talking about..,

 

Impossible to be that much faster, unless everybody else was doing full tank tests or something. Even if it was half a second it is huge ...

Heck even when Williams installed a proper constant velocity gearbox they were only immediately 2 seconds faster per lap ... but that was never allowed to race.
Pete

 

i think that was a mistake...the number was 5-6mph faster on the straights...so yeah, significantly more shashing!

 

Looks like the FIA is not bothered again. Why? Waiting for Mclaren to win a bunch of races, before declaring the wing is not legal? I really hope we won't get any interference this season. 2010 will prolly be the best season ever.

 

Experience has shown that the FIA can come up with justification to support going either way on any decision. They have no consistent rationality. The question is whether or not they choose to involve themselves.
I say let them go racing and stop litigating.

 

Sure you don't mean KPH?

otherwise at bahrain be prepared to see the whole field lapped within just 8 laps by the mclarens...

 

Thats like light-speed.
Sure its not top end MPH or something else.

It could be my mistake, sometimes I read too fast it takes my btain 5+ sec. to catch up

 

I agree with that. It's not fair to render an opinion the eve of a race that the car has material violation of the technical regulations and then expect anyone to respond that quickly. Of course, if the wing bends back and actually departs from the car, then I guess we'll have an answer.

 

From what Ive read Charlie Whiting's flight was cancelled delaying his appointment at Mclaren.

 

Tuesday 9th March 2010 - PlanetF1.com
McLaren have two packages, just in case -

Although they are confident the FIA will not find anything untoward about their controversial rear wing, McLaren are taking two packages to Bahrain, just in case.

FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting was scheduled to travel to the team's Woking HQ last week to inspect the controversial design but failed to do so after his flight was delayed. It has since been revealed that Whiting will only be able to check out the wing in Bahrain this week.

McLaren's managing director Jonathan Neale, though, insists they are confident their car will be given the all-clear.

"Charlie's going to continue to confirm that he's happy, which is what we've tried to do all the way through this process," Neale said during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in media call. "It's regrettable that his plane got cancelled while leaving Sao Paulo.

"It would have been nice to take the opportunity with him and some of the other FOTA team members to finish it off in the UK, but we're quite relaxed about it.

"We've spoken to Stefano (Domenicali) and some of the other team principals and colleagues there and of course everyone wants to see clarity. We're doing the same on a number of other teams' developments. There's nothing untowards about it though - we're quite confident the car is legal."

But McLaren are leaving nothing to chance and will take an extra package to Bahrain.

"We're not taking a radically different package, but you just never know what the stewards are going to do on the day," he said. "We get the best advice we can from the FIA in the interests of transparency.

"If the stewards decide on a different course of action though, it's still our duty to go racing. So we have a contingency, but I wouldn't put much effort into it and I'm not expecting it to be used."