The FIA declared legal the reactive system height control
The FIA has declared legal the reactive system height control that Lotus Renault team is developing to use this 2012 season. The system, though not anything particularly innovative, has attracted much intrigue in recent days after the Enstone based team to try it on tests of young drivers in Abu Dhabi.
As I reported yesterday is mechanical system and helps maintain a standard height of the car in front brakes, the front tends to lean down.
There are two articles in the technical standards that might suggest that the system was illegal, one is 3.15, which says that any system, device or procedure that uses the movement of the driver to alter the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is forbidden, but in this If the pilot does not act on the adjustment of the height of the body, which improves the aerodynamic performance and stability of the car under braking. On the second technical article that the system must meet is indicating that the suspension should be arranged so as to respond only to changes in the loads applied to the wheels, in this case one could argue its legality, and Lotus Renault had to design a system with an operating mode that the FIA has given its approval. The system is reactive braking torque, ie, directly attached to the suspension takes the braking forces causes the plunger to extend hydraulic suspension and keep the ride height. There is an active system, but the suspension reacts to braking torque, not directly to the brake circuit pressure, which would be illegal.
Not being involved in the pilot operation and be part of the suspension system, the FIA has held that it violates the technical regulations.
As we said the idea is nothing innovative because in the 80 some bikes used purely mechanical systems like this, and in fact several teams have been working recently on similar systems. Rumor has it that Red Bull has been using last season (do they have something to do with this brake problems they had in 2010?) And Renault was in contact with the FIA for its development in 2010, receiving the green light January last year. Seeing this is to assume that it is difficult to get the system working reliably, because Renault has been over a year developing it to make it work, suffering from heavy cracking pressures. There are at least one team that could be Ferrari, which has already submitted to the FIA a similar device for use in 2012.
Remains to be seen the real benefit provided by the system, and if all teams will be forced to design their own systems.