The FIA confirms the legality of Mercedes’ F-Duct
The FIA has confirmed the legality of the "F-Duct" type system used by Mercedes when activating the DRS, which does not please Lotus and Red Bull who deemed this system non-compliant with the regulations.
The Lotus and Red Bull teams have requested clarification on the legality of the passive F-Duct used by Mercedes during the activation of the DRS. The system, declared legal in Australia, has once again passed inspections conducted by Charlie Whiting, the race director and FIA technical delegate, in Sepang.
Unlike the F-Duct implemented by McLaren, the one from Mercedes is completely passive and does not require driver intervention, which allows it to comply with the regulations.
The FIA has therefore decided to stand by its position by declaring the system legal and, according to the British press, the other teams in the paddock have been informed of this decision.
The other teams on the grid will probably have to copy this system, which will result in additional costs for each of them. And apparently, this is a point that does not satisfy Christian Horner and Adrian Newey because they believe that Mercedes has not respected an agreement signed by the teams, without saying more, however.
“They do not respect the technical working group’s agreement,” stated Christian Horner, as quoted by YallaF1.
Adrian Newey, the designer of the RB8, told Auto Bild Magazine he agrees: « The FIA has authorized the system, but Team Mercedes went against the agreement signed by the teams.»
