Blown Diffuser Ban Confirmed

The FIA have confirmed that they still plan to go ahead with the 'off the throttle' blown diffuser design with effect from the British Grand Prix next month.
This is expected to cause issues for the teams who rely heavily on this, particularly the Renault, Red Bull and Mercedes teams, as the engines will need to be remapped.

It is reported that Mercedes have actually lost several engines whilst testing the new requirements, so this may mean that some teams begin to struggle more with reliability issues from Silverstone onwards.

Also confirmed is that with effect from 2012, blown diffusers will be banned outright. It was initially thought that alternative would be that the exhausts would be positioned just over the top of the diffuser at the back of the car, giving a minimal downforce gain. However, it has instead been confirmed that a 'periscope' style exhaust - as used in the sport in the 80's and 90's - will be mandated instead.

This will mean that the teams will need to find alternative ways of creating downforce, as the blown diffuser is credited by many as being the one single design feature which has made the Red Bulls the dominant team that they presently are.

Additionally, an advantage to the fans is that with the new 'periscope' exhausts, spectators should be able to see flames from the exhaust exits which were previously hidden.

For a more detailed explanation of this, visit scarbsf1.wordpress.com