Charlie Whiting has given the 2012 cars at the Jerez test this week an early clean bill of health.<\/p>\n
It was reported the FIA’s technical delegate decided to attend the opening test of the 2012 pre-season amid speculation the teams may have overstepped the mark with their new exhaust layouts.<\/p>\n
Exhaust-blown diffusers have been banned for this season, but the early signs were that teams had been clever in their interpretation of the new rules to maintain an aerodynamic benefit.<\/p>\n
“At the moment they’re all legal,” Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, following Whiting’s inspection of all the team garages on Wednesday, quoted the Briton as saying.<\/p>\n
Red Bull’s Adrian Newey also played down all the speculation about 2012 exhaust interpretations, insisting there is unlikely to be a “bright idea” from this year’s restrictive rules similar to the double diffuser or blown exhaust innovations.<\/p>\n
“We do not see any big differences between all the possible solutions,” he said.\u00a0 “The rules are very specific and very restrictive.”<\/p>\n
That could, of course, be great news for Red Bull’s rivals, particularly with the FIA having also clamped down on flexing front wings — another area perfected recently by Newey.<\/p>\n
“That rule change,” said Newey, referring to the halving of the allowable wing flex for 2012, “came very late.<\/p>\n
“The result is that the wing has gained a lot of weight, making it harder to achieve the optimum weight distribution.”<\/p>\n
Newey said the FIA’s new stance on wings was “probably” powered by the violently fluttering components on Ferrari’s car late last season.<\/p>\n
Indeed, between Ferrari and Red Bull, there already appears some tension.<\/p>\n
Spain’s Marca newspaper claims Newey suspected Ferrari’s initial exhaust solution on the F2012 was not legal.<\/p>\n
Then on Wednesday – the day of Whiting’s pit visits – the Maranello based team hastily cut into its exhausts and fairings, ostensibly to meet the new rule about top visibility.<\/p>\n
“Honestly,” Ferrari designer Nikolas Tombazis said, “I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary.\u00a0 We have analysed what everyone is doing and I do not see a great innovation that we have not studied already.”<\/p>\n
The saga will continue to run.<\/p>\n
“They will still be able to use the exhausts (aerodynamically) this year,” predicted Remi Taffin, engine supplier Renault’s track boss.<\/p>\n
“So we will see changes in this area in the Barcelona testing and probably also in Melbourne,” he is quoted by France’s Auto Plus.<\/p>\n
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