Ban of FRIC in F1: No agreement between teams?
While a unanimous agreement could have postponed until 2015 the ban on the Front and Rear Interconnected Suspension (FRIC) system, the teams were unable to reach an agreement, leaving the door open for protests as early as the German Grand Prix.
Few people believed in an agreement regarding the postponement of the ban on interconnected suspensions (the FRIC system), and the facts seem to have proved them right: our British colleagues from Autosport reveal that the teams failed to reach an agreement on this point, while the FIA had proposed to defer this decision to 2015 if there was a unanimous vote.
The lack of agreement is crystallizing around a direct opposition between a majority of teams, including the most powerful ones (Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari, notably), and the others, among the smaller structures.
In short, during the German Grand Prix, any competitor who takes the risk of racing with FRIC risks a protest from one of their adversaries, based on the technical directive sent to the teams at the beginning of last week, and thus a disqualification by the stewards at Hockenheim.
The FIA indicated on Monday that it would leave the decision to protest or not in the hands of the teams: « Producing a report for the stewards is an option that is open for us, but we would prefer a wiser approach. So, we could continue like this, even if not everyone signs [the non-protest agreement] » a source at the Federation explained to Autosport.
The issue would then shift from the question of agreement to the question of teams ready to take action with the commissioners. An unspoken rule among teams is that technical protests are not filed during the weekend but on the Thursday of the Grand Prix.
Several scenarios are then possible – from the claim filed as early as Thursday to the total absence of a claim – but the decision will ultimately rest, in the event of a protest, with the commissioners who are solely competent to declare the illegality of a part or component of the F1 cars. It is possible to envisage that they might disagree with Charlie Whiting’s directive and that the FRIC could ultimately be declared legal.
McLaren should not use FRIC at Hockenheim
Whatever the case, it seems the decision has already been made in Woking: the British team is not expected to use interconnected suspensions for the German Grand Prix.
In any case, this is what a McLaren spokesperson stated to Autosport: « McLaren does not currently intend to use a FRIC suspension system at the German Grand Prix. McLaren will comply with the FIA’s decisions on the matter. » It remains to be seen whether the stewards’ decisions—if there are any—will follow the Federation’s recommendations.
