It did not take long for F1′s first technical controversy of the 2012 race season to erupt.
Asked about Mercedes’ F-duct system that reportedly works in conjunction with the deployment of DRS, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: “Are they allowed?”

The FIA’s Charlie Whiting says yes. “I cannot see a rule that prohibits it,” he said.

“What is not allowed is the movement of the driver to generate an aerodynamic effect,” he is quoted by Brazil’s O Estado de S.Paulo.

So at least for now, the other teams will have to react, amid talk the concept is worth several kilometres per hour in a straight line.

“We’ll have to have a look at it,” confirmed Horner.

But according to BBC analyst and former F1 designer Gary Anderson, Red Bull and Ferrari – and maybe others – have reacted already.

They “appear to have a different system and I’m struggling to understand how it complies with the rules”, he said.

“I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this subject”, Anderson added.

Also legal for now are all the teams’ different interpretations of the new exhaust rules — even the controversial Red Bull’s.

“As far as we’ve seen so far, they all do comply with the rules,” confirmed Whiting.

Last Sunday’s Abu Dhabi season finale was a significant moment in the history of the F1 safety car.

The first deployment of the sport’s permanent safety car was 250 grands prix ago, at Magny Cours in 1996.

“That was my company car,” recalled current safety car driver Bernd Maylander, referring to the C36 AMG used for that race in France.

According to Motorsport-Magazin.com, the car deployed for that debut race even featured Maylander’s personalised number plate ‘S-BM 300′.

Of the 250 races, the Mercedes safety car – spanning nine separate models and currently the gull-wing SLS AMG – was deployed 135 times.

F1 team chiefs are set to discuss a possible change to the safety car rules for 2011.

Previously, the sport abandoned a rule where the pits are closed upon deployment of the safety car, because cars out of fuel were forced to pit and then serve a penalty.

It is believed that, now that drivers cannot pit during the race for fuel, the rule could be reintroduced, with the pitlane to be closed throughout the safety car period.

The idea is to minimise the ‘lottery’ effect of the current rules, but the fact an opportune safety car period can benefit the lower runners during a race means the small teams may not vote for the change for 2011.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that the issue is to be discussed in Korea in two weeks, with a rule change for 2011 requiring unanimity.

For an introduction in 2012, only a majority team vote is required for ratification by the World Motor Sport Council.

“All teams” either openly or secretly support the deployment of team orders, Peter Sauber said at Monza on Friday.

But when it came to supporting Ferrari at the FIA’s disciplinary hearing earlier this week, only the Swiss and fellow veteran Sir Frank Williams would write an actual letter.

“All the teams are for team orders when they make sense, but no one admits it openly!” Sauber is quoted at Monza by the Blick newspaper.

But while some observers made the link between Sauber’s support and the identity of his team’s engine supplier, more confusing was Williams’ similar backing.

The Oxfordshire based team is not known to have any alliances with its famous Italian rivals.

“We are no friends of Ferrari,” Williams confirmed on Friday, “but we just thought a total ban on team orders is not necessary.

“We wrote it (the letter) because we are sincere,” he added.

McLaren is still not committed to qualifying and racing with a Red Bull-style ‘blown diffuser’ exhaust layout.

At Silverstone, the British team tried the specification in Friday practice but reverted to the original setup for qualifying and the race.

McLaren and its drivers still head both world championships with more than half the season now run, but boss Martin Whitmarsh admits the team is “under no illusions” about Red Bull having the faster car.

He confirmed that the blown exhaust will be back on the car in Germany for a “major test programme” to compare the new and old floor layout.

“And, if these (tests) prove positive, we’ll then look at the deployment of the new floor for the remainder of the race weekend.  But that’s a decision we’ll only make after a thorough analysis of the inherent risks and benefits,” added Whitmarsh.

It is expected that Sauber will also run a blown diffuser for the first time at Hockenheim.

Plans for adjustable ‘proximity’ rear wings next year are not set in stone, according to FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh.

The idea, giving chasing drivers the ability to reduce drag and therefore better mount overtaking moves, was championed by the teams association and recently rubber-stamped by the FIA.

But there has been some opposition since the announcement; primarily by those who think it is an unnecessary and artificial ploy, and also those who are concerned about safety.

“We will see whether people are convinced by it or not,” said Whitmarsh, also the McLaren team boss.

The Briton admitted the proximity wing was developed due to “fan-based pressure” to improve the spectacle of overtaking, but said it is not certain the innovation will actually debut.

“I think we have got to do a little bit more work on deployment and the sporting regulations that accompany it, and if we get that right we’ll give it a go,” said Whitmarsh.

He confirmed that if “it detracts, isn’t right, it’s easy to take it off”.

“But let’s have a look at it; it’s a bit of an experiment.”

Former grand prix driver Anthony Davidson is not confident the wings will ever be seen in action.

“I think teams just like to see what people like us think about it before it actually gets put forward,” said the BBC radio commentator.

(GMM)

Before the race on the Ile Notre Dame in Montreal to face the teams on two main questions: Is it early in the race to a safety car period? Which tires should start the race? Sam Michael, Technical Director of the Williams team, explains his thoughts, which he makes in this regard before the clock start at 18 GMT.

“We have not yet decided whether we will start on the hard or soft compound,” said Michael. “There are two different approaches. If one assumes that there will be in the early stages of the race a Safety Car period, take the soft tires, to have used them and they runterzubekommen again.”
“If one does not believe that it is not the safety car comes out, you might want to be on the hard compound to be able to drive around for two long stints,” said Michael further. The Grand Prix of Canada would be one way or another for at least a two-stop race, because you could not possibly survive due to high tire wear, with only one tire change the distance of 70 laps.

Williams is with Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg the two best-placed driver who may choose their tires before the race, free. Michael would therefore not exclude that we could possibly send its pilots with different strategies in the race to be prepared for all eventualities.
But a look into the past leaving Michael to assume that safety car driver Bernd will turn out Mayländer with high probability during the race. “The likelihood of a safety car deployment is very high. It was always like that. We had been in 19 races Safety Car periods, sometimes up to four per race.”

There are many indications that this in this year’s race will hardly be otherwise. “Now we have six more cars on the grid and to two types of tires that will be hard to drive due to the strong graining – all of which increases the probability of safety car interventions,” said Michael concludes.

May 3 (GMM)  Volkswagen is interested in formula one but has no intention of launching a Mercedes-like works team.

That is the latest message given by Hans-Joachim Stuck, a former grand prix driver and now the motor sport representative of the German carmaker giant.

“It is clear that we are looking at formula one,” he is quoted as saying by Sport Bild magazine.

“We are waiting for the FIA’s decision in respect of the use of a world engine for formula one.  If there is (a world engine) we will discuss whether to build it for formula one,” added Stuck.

He clarified that VW would only be an engine supplier and not have “our own team like Mercedes”.

The ‘world engine’ concept – with possible deployment across various motor racing categories – has been touted by the FIA.

But regarding a new engine formula for 2013, the current discussions in F1 are about the likelihood of a 1.5 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder and a powerful KERS.

It is believed that the world engine concept is not popular among F1′s existing manufacturers.

While pushing for smaller engines for 2013, the FIA is also keen to improve the fuel efficiency of the current 2.4 litre V8 designs.

Ferrari’s former engine boss Gilles Simon, now working with the FIA, said in the latest edition of In Motion magazine that F1 should “push forward with fuel efficiency”.

“If, as an engine engineer, I am given a maximum fuel load, I will try to give the driver the maximum horsepower possible, building the most efficient engine I can,” he said.

Simon added that the FIA wants “to try to adapt the rules we have in the run-up to the new engine formula”.