Movable Floors

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Originally Posted by ioan

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As others pointed out it's bizarre that Renault was testing the Bridgestone tires with the mass-dampers on the car as those are banned, and will not come back, which means that it was only lost track time and money, not to mention that the tires they got to test weren't the same tires Ferrari were using last season but the ones they are using now.

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What's so bizarre about bringing last year car, and devices, to testing early in the testing season? I'd assume they were looking to have a comparative base line. Sounds reasonable and very sensible to me.

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Originally Posted by jjanicke

What's so bizarre about bringing last year car, and devices, to testing early in the testing season? I'd assume they were looking to have a comparative base line. Sounds reasonable and very sensible to me.

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It seems to me that they wasted track time doing that, and their current form is a proof to that! :p :

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Originally Posted by ioan

It seems to me that they wasted track time doing that, and their current form is a proof to that! :p :

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So how do you measure progress if you have nothing to base it on?

Renault hadn't driven on Bridgestone’s yet; they didn't have the R27 available for testing, and needed to start understanding the new tires.

Makes sense to me to test with an existing car, the new tires to develop a baseline to judge the new car against when it hits the tracks.

They either had the option to not test and wait for the R27, or start work on understanding the Bridgestone’s, with their existing R26, and it's devices that they understand very well.

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Originally Posted by ioan

The FIA did answer McLaren's questioning of a certain possibility to mount their floor on a device composed of pivots and springs:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/57650

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From that story:
"The FIA has modified its bodywork tests to ensure a floor mounting system used primarily by Ferrari does not circumvent the regulations."

In which case McLaren were fully justified in raising the issue with the FIA. As Ron Dennis said "there is a whole range of things that come to light in the first race" after the teams have spent the winter designing and developing new cars.

I am wondering. If Ferrari has to remove the device for Sepang race. They clearly had an illegal device in Melbourne, and should therefore be penalized for using it? Should they not?

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Originally Posted by 93VTEC

I am wondering. If Ferrari has to remove the device for Sepang race. They clearly had an illegal device in Melbourne, and should therefore be penalized for using it? Should they not?

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No, because it was not illegal to the rules as they were defined for Australia. (in actuality is was deemed legal against the testing procedures that were defined and inplace for Australia 2007).

Just like Renault wasn't penalized for using the, subsequently banned, mass-dampers earlier in the 2006 season.

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Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1

From that story:
"The FIA has modified its bodywork tests to ensure a floor mounting system used primarily by Ferrari does not circumvent the regulations."

In which case McLaren were fully justified in raising the issue with the FIA. As Ron Dennis said "there is a whole range of things that come to light in the first race" after the teams have spent the winter designing and developing new cars.

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I would argue that RD is fully justified in raising all the issue's he continually gets critized for on our board.

But people need someone to point their fingers at and blame.

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Originally Posted by jjanicke

No, because it was not illegal to the rules as they were defined for Australia.

Just like Renault wasn't penalized for using the, subsequently banned, mass-dampers earlier in the 2006 season.

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OK Maybe not stripped of the points, but they can be considered to have cheated ignoring the spirit of the sport and the rules.

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Originally Posted by 93VTEC

OK Maybe not stripped of the points, but they can be considered to have cheated ignoring the spirit of the sport and the rules.

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Well that's the fine line of F1. Is it cheating or pushing the rules to their limit? Personally I believe this to be an incident related to pushing the rules to and beyond the limit, hence the clarification.

Now if you were asking about tire ovens and the sort, I'd say that's plainly cheating.

Fia should come up with a new rule. That would go somehting like. If your car uses a device, or part that is later found to be outside of the rules, you will be penalized by .... and then slap a fine, points whatever. Make it clear that using devices, that are clearly against the spirit of the rules, will be punishable. Perhaps then the teams will shy away from such devices.