Lotus Renault: A Trick to Copy
The exhausts of the R31 are still making headlines, and they are said to be an important solution to restore the lost downforce.
Lotus Renault surprised everyone during the presentation of its new single-seater, the R31. And for good reason, there are no exhausts visible at the back. In fact, they are strategically placed to blow towards the front of the car, so that the airflow from the exhausts goes under the car, which would help generate downforce.
A gain in support that would seem to be anything but negligible, if we are to believe the statements of Ross Brawn. The former owner of Brawn GP, who, it should be noted, sparked debates with the introduction of the double diffuser that provided enormous downforce but was controversial in 2009, compares the 2009 Brawn’s lethal weapon to the Lotus Renault solution.
This is an interesting means, and even more important than the contribution of the double diffuser in terms of performance. Since all teams work with their engine partner to maximize the energy provided by the exhausts, it is a new area of development.
We also remember the controversy around the double diffuser that allowed Jenson Button to secure several victories at the start of the 2009 season, as some teams deemed it against the rules. The situation was clarified with its ban in 2011, but that will not be the case for the black and gold team’s solution according to Ross Brawn.
It is in the spirit of F1 to push these limits and find new areas of development. In the future, we will find other solutions, and we will change the regulations so that everything is under control. In 2013, everything will change with many differences compared to now, such as the engine.
It’s in the nature of F1, engineers are always pushing the limits of regulations. It’s very, very rare that people cheat in F1, and engineers are just operating at the limit and maximizing what can be done. The double diffuser was one of those limits. These exhausts are a clever idea, but I don’t think there are any regulatory concerns about them. So I don’t see why there would be a controversy.
We recall the same Ross Brawn who, a few weeks earlier, was already praising this system and had announced that Mercedes was working on adapting it to the Silver Arrow.
Lotus Renault has reportedly found a brilliant solution to restore a good level of downforce after a banned double diffuser, and its unique setup does not seem easy to copy. Will other teams take the risk? Surely, if the performance gains are significant, which will be revealed during the races, starting with Australia next week.
