McLaren is not yet ready to roll out a Mercedes-style ‘F-duct’ to complement its highly competitive 2012 car.

Despite Mercedes struggling with tyres in the actual races so far, the W03 is a standout qualifying performer, thanks in part to the so-nicknamed front and rear ‘super-DRS’ system.

Red Bull, Lotus and perhaps even Ferrari are threatening to protest, but until now McLaren – with arguably the dominant package of the 2012 season so far – has stayed out of the argument.

“We don’t have a strong view one way or the other,” technical director Paddy Lowe confirmed during the regular Vodafone media teleconference on Tuesday.

The F-duct will remain a hot topic in China this weekend, with Lotus’ technical boss James Allison believed to be armed with two new arguments against its legality.

It was thought McLaren was quite advanced with its own version of the system.

But Lowe revealed: “Until we’ve got clarity it’s difficult for us to commit a huge about of effort in that direction. So that’s where we are at the moment.”

He steered away from suggestions Mercedes, including boss Ross Brawn, have flouted the “spirit” of the recent F-duct ban.

“There’s no such thing as the spirit of the rules,” insisted Lowe, admitting that if there was a ‘spirit’ of the DRS rule, the Mercedes system is “definitely” in breach.

“The debate around whether they can keep that system on the car is not about whether it is in that spirit or not, it’s about whether the text of the regulations means they can’t,” he explained.

Ross Brawn has confirmed reports that Mercedes’ 2012 ‘F-duct’ will not be easily copied by rival teams.

We reported on Thursday that while Red Bull and now Ferrari worked quickly to copy Sauber’s clever exhaust solution, they are crying foul over the Mercedes F-duct.

Is it because they really believe it breaks the rules, or is the system simply difficult to copy?

Red Bull designer Adrian Newey was quoted by Brazilian O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper in Malaysia: “In regard to the aerodynamic (F) duct of the Mercedes, and sending the airflow from the back to the front, it is necessary to review the entire project.”

Mercedes team boss Brawn confirmed: “The opposition is so fierce (because) there’s a recognition it’s quite difficult to do.”

He rejected the rivals’ arguments about cost, however, insisting Mercedes’ system consists mainly of carbon tubing costing no more than thousands of pounds.

“It’s a very simple, cheap system, but not so easy to implement if you haven’t integrated it into your car,” said the Briton.

“This is at the heart of the frustration of some of our opponents. If someone could put it on their car easily, I promise you we wouldn’t be having these discussions.”

It emerged this week, however, that despite the FIA having consistently sided with Mercedes on the F-duct issue, Lotus’ technical boss James Allison has come up with two new arguments that will be put to Charlie Whiting next week in China.

“We would obviously be extremely disappointed if someone was to take a different view,” said Brawn.

“The FIA have been fairly consistent over their position so we have faith that they’ll maintain that consistency.”

The FIA appears to have waded back into the ‘F-duct’ debate, indicating that the Mercedes-style solution is fully legal.

We reported on Monday that the saga looked set to continue into China next weekend, with some teams – notably Red Bull and Lotus – questioning the legality of the aerodynamic innovation.

It had emerged that Lotus technical director James Allison has come up with another argument against the technology that will be posed to the FIA’s Charlie Whiting ahead of scrutineering in Shanghai next week.

Christian Horner insists Red Bull and Lotus’ concerns are shared by others.

“Believe me it’s not just Red Bull, I think there’s half the paddock that’s been looking at this,” he told British television Sky Sport’s The F1 Show.

The Red Bull team boss revealed that Whiting left Malaysia wanting “to have a think about it”.

So, the latest development is the re-release via the FIA website of an “edited version” of the technical briefing that Whiting gave to reporters in Australia last month.

It is believed the complaining teams’ main objection to the Mercedes system is that it arguably uses ‘driver movement’ – the pressing of the DRS button – to be activated.

Under the heading “Pressing the DRS button and the issue of ‘driver movement’”, the media briefing quotes Whiting as stating simply: “This is specifically allowed (in the rules).”

Mercedes’ Ross Brawn is quoted by the BBC: “We call it the DRS, because that’s all it is. The purpose of the DRS is to improve overtaking and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Whiting’s stance in China, however, may not be the end of it.

“Then the teams are faced with alternatives,” Horner explained. “Either accept it and get on it and maybe look at your own solution if that fits your car.

“You’ve got the opportunity to protest if we were to feel – or any other team were to feel – that we didn’t agree with Charlie’s interpretation,” he added.

The 2012 ‘F-duct’ controversy looks set to keep running for now.

“It’s not over yet,” confirmed Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko to Germany’s Auto Bild.

In Australia and Malaysia, the threat of results protests hung over the opening races of 2012, due to some teams – chiefly Red Bull and Lotus – questioning the legality of the aerodynamic innovation on Mercedes’ 2012 car.

Until now, the FIA has declared that the system – working in unison with the driver-operated DRS – is fully legal.

But it has emerged that Lotus technical director James Allison has come up with another argument against the technology that will be posed to the FIA’s Charlie Whiting ahead of scrutineering for next weekend’s Chinese grand prix.

It is believed that while Ferrari is on Red Bull and Lotus’ side at present, Mercedes-powered McLaren is currently staying out of the debate altogether.

Lotus is grappling with a major problem less than one month before the start of the 2012 season.
The former Renault team has sensationally abandoned this week’s Barcelona test and returned to its Enstone headquarters, after an unspecified chassis fault was detected on the new E20 car on Tuesday.

“We’ll put the right measures in place and we will be able to fix the problem before next week,” said technical director James Allison.

But Gary Anderson, formerly the designer of Jordan and Jaguar cars, believes Lotus is playing down the problem.

“You would have thought they could have fixed it overnight — chassis are made of carbon fibre composite so you’d be looking to bond new strengthening parts on,” he told the BBC.

“In my experience, if you can’t do it in 24 hours, I don’t think you can do it at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if this meant they needed a new chassis, which would make it touch and go for the first race.”

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport thinks Lotus did not experience the fundamental problem at Jerez last week because the Circuit de Catalunya is a much more demanding circuit.

Meanwhile, Red Bull’s world champion Sebastian Vettel was Tuesday’s fastest as the second of three group tests began, but he admitted Lewis Hamilton – in the new McLaren – was also impressive.

“Ferrari is a bit of a secret at this stage and nobody knows whether they are really good or really bad,” admitted the German.

 Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel has flagged his friend Kimi Raikkonen as a potential pretender to his throne in 2012.
After becoming friends prior to Raikkonen’s rallying switch two years ago, German Vettel has stayed in contact with the Finn, occasionally meeting in their domiciled Switzerland to play badminton.

They did not manage to catch up at the Jerez test last week, but Red Bull’s Vettel admitted the pace of Raikkonen’s new Lotus caught his eye.

“If it’s as good as it seemed at Jerez, then Kimi is a serious opponent,” he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

Not trying to play down Lotus’ impressive debut for the black and gold E20 car is the team’s technical director, James Allison.

But the Briton also urged against getting carried away, with two tests at Barcelona still to run before the Melbourne season opener next month.

“We all try to know what is happening with the other teams, but in any case, we won’t know anything definite until Melbourne,” he is quoted by L’Equipe’s website.

“The most important thing is that the car runs well, not just from a mechanical standpoint, but also in terms of how the drivers feel, which is also important.”

Romain Grosjean is happy the early signs of his relationship with new teammate Kimi Raikkonen are positive.
Last week, the newly-acquainted pair spent time at Jerez, where their new Lotus car was the surprise standout performer of the first pre-season test.

Another “really pleasant surprise”, according to GP2 champion Grosjean, was “Kimi”.

“It took a little time and I did wonder what kind of relationship we would develop, but I think he is a really nice guy. Whatever I have asked, he has answered.”

Arguably more important, of course, is their black and gold car, and it set tongues wagging by proving the standout performer at Jerez.

“It is definitely better than our one of last year,” Frenchman Grosjean is quoted by Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

And he said both he and Raikkonen are likely to develop it in harmony.

“I did not see anything strange,” said Grosjean when asked how his and Raikkonen’s driving styles compare, “the telemetry was nearly identical.”

Also more than pleased is Lotus’ technical director, James Allison.

“The best thing about the week was the drivers’ feedback,” he said. “We had not heard anything as positive in the last couple of seasons.”

While ‘step’ noses were still occupying some in the F1 paddock, the sport’s purists were staring at the rear of the cars as the field of 2012 tested at Jerez on Tuesday.
With blown exhausts effectively banned this year, the new rules state that the outlets must now be visible from above.

But according to Auto Motor und Sport, the Ferrari and McLaren solutions are not necessarily visible from a bird’s eye view, causing some insiders to predict a new controversy about the legality of cars this season.

So at Jerez, the game began.

“We have had a lot of correspondence with the FIA,” said Ferrari designer Nikolas Tombazis. “We believe that what we are doing is legal.”

McLaren’s solution is also innovative, with the side ‘bump’ seen at the launch of the MP4-27 still on the car at Jerez.

One early analysis is that the team is using a rule loophole to cleverly redirect the exhaust air.

“There’s always a chance that somebody will come up with something that’s right on the border,” said Red Bull designer Adrian Newey.

Added Lotus’ James Allison: “So far we have a conservative solution,” he commented on the day Kimi Raikkonen went quickest in the 2012 car.

“We will watch the competition and also what the FIA says. Depending on how much they will allow, we will act accordingly.”

Some of the smaller teams are already expressing frustration.

“The FIA has said that the exhaust should no longer influence the aerodynamics. We support that and we will stick to that,” said Toro Rosso’s Giorgio Ascanelli.

Added Williams’ Mark Gillan: “The rules are actually pretty clear and we are trying to be on the right side of them.”

Williams’ official launch took just five minutes in the Jerez pitlane on Tuesday, before the new Renault-powered FW34 had a difficult birth.
“Unfortunately testing was cut short with a couple of initial teething problems which we are currently investigating,” said engineer Mark Gillan.

Official testing action burst into life in 2012, with every team except Marussia – and nine all-new cars in action for the first time – kicking off their campaigns.

Returning 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen was fastest all day.

“The lap times don’t matter today,” Lotus’ Finn insisted.

“I do have a good feeling, and that was not always the case in my career after the first day of testing,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“But I would rather be P1 at the end of the first race than at the end of the first test day,” smiled Raikkonen.

Red Bull’s Mark Webber, with the team’s brand new title-defending car only the third quickest of the 2012 runners, agreed.

“If what we saw today happens in Melbourne, then we’ll talk again,” he laughed, explaining the missed morning of testing as due to a crucial part being held up at an airport shrouded in fog.

The Guardian also reports that a Red Bull truckie was stopped for speeding.

Lotus team boss Eric Boullier, however, is convinced Raikkonen’s speed is real – and his motivation intact – after two years away.

“Believe me, he is there.”

Agreed technical director James Allison: “You can tell Kimi is a class act.”

Like fellow top team Red Bull, the new McLaren also had a low-profile day, with Jenson Button just eighth quickest.

But he didn’t accuse Lotus and Raikkonen of showboating.

“Maybe he (Raikkonen) was running heavy,” said the 2009 world champion. “We maybe haven’t seen eye to eye a lot of the time when we’ve been racing, but he’s a very quick driver, a world champion.

“He’s obviously in a very competitive car, and whatever they did today – low fuel or whatever – it was still quick.”

Struggling on Tuesday was Caterham, whose new car could not be restarted following damage to the engine starter shaft, and Toro Rosso with an oil leak.

And Felipe Massa was just ninth in the new Ferrari.

“It is obviously too early to say if this year we will be able to win or not,” said designer Nikolas Tombazis.

 Amid the European cold snap, Franz Tost admits he was worried Toro Rosso might be late for its own car launch.
The STR7 was unveiled on Monday in the Jerez pitlane, a day ahead of its testing debut.

“When the trucks left Faenza on Saturday night I was worried we would not arrive in time,” La Gazzetta dello Sport quotes the relieved team boss as saying.

Ultimately, it turned out well, although Daniel Ricciardo – one of Toro Rosso’s new Red Bull-backed rookies – was not overly impressed with the car’s looks.

“It’s not exactly beautiful,” said the Australian, referring to the now notorious ‘stepped’ noses on the 2012 cars, “but I’d rather have a quick car than a pretty one.”

Actually, designer Giorgio Ascanelli is worried the STR7′s nose might not be ugly enough.

“I think we could have made it more aggressive,” said the Italian, “but in the end we had to homologate the car before we could test it.”

Arguably more ugly is the nose on Sauber’s new C31, but Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi isn’t so sure.

“You think it’s ugly?” he told reporters at Jerez. “If everybody has the same style of car then it’s not ugly. Only the McLaren is different, so we will see.”

On McLaren, Kobayashi might have a point.

Of the eight 2012 cars seen so far, all of them have a ‘step’ except the McLaren. And Pedro de la Rosa has hinted that the new HRT will also feature the unattractive solution.

“Like almost everyone one else we have had the idea to have as much area under the car as possible. The regulations force us to do what we have done,” Sauber designer Matt Morris is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

Said Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary: “It begs the question — have McLaren got it wrong?

“Were they ‘sandbagging’ – faking – at last week’s launch? Have they got it right and everyone else got it wrong?”

McLaren’s technical director Paddy Lowe is confident: “We have always had a different philosophy than the others for the front of the car,” he is quoted by Blick newspaper.

Two 2012 cars with ‘step’ noses – Lotus and Sauber – made their track debuts on Monday, ahead of official testing which begins on Tuesday.

Lotus’ technical boss James Allison thinks the E20 is the “most beautiful ugly car” seen so far.

“It feels great in first and second gear,” smiled Kimi Raikkonen, referring to the running for ‘filming purposes’.

Agreed Sauber’s Kobayashi: “I obviously can’t make serious judgements on the car because we had just a promotional day and were running only demo tyres.”

The new Williams will be seen for the first time on Tuesday.

Nick Heidfeld insists he is satisfied with his 2011 season despite criticism from within the Renault team.

Chiefs Gerard Lopez and Eric Boullier have admitted they are disappointed with the performance of the German veteran, who was drafted in to replace the injured Robert Kubica.

Pundit Eddie Jordan speculated to Germany’s Sport Bild that the “bullying” tactics could be to spur Heidfeld to quit and make room for Renault hopefuls Bruno Senna or Romain Grosjean.

34-year-old Heidfeld however is vowing to fight on.

“Under the circumstances I am satisfied with the season and with my services,” Sport Bild quotes him as saying.

“I am still fully committed to getting as many points for the team and helping them in whatever way I can,” added Heidfeld.

The black R31 will feature updates to the floor, exhaust and suspension at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend.

But technical director James Allison is quoted by France’s autohebdo.fr: “At this time of year, the majority of the aerodynamic resources of the teams is transferred to the car for next season.”

Renault will try again with its Red Bull-style rear exhaust exits in Hungary next week, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.
While Vitaly Petrov continued to use the front-exiting solution that has been on the R31 all season, teammate Nick Heidfeld tested the new layout on Friday at the Nurburgring.

But the German’s car was reverted to Silverstone specification for Saturday.

“It’s too early to consider running the rearward exhaust in anger because it isn’t competitive with the forward-facing yet, but it’s certainly something we are going to keep exploring and considering,” said technical director James Allison.

Added Heidfeld: “The new system definitely has potential but it’s very complicated. It’s hard to get something like that up and running so quickly.

“We didn’t expect it to just work straight away.”

Silence may not descend on formula one, despite the FIA announcing that cars will have to drive with only regenerated electrical power in the pitlane in 2014.
The FIA said that part of the new ‘green’ V6 rules for the future is that the cars will not be able to use their conventional petrol engine propulsion between the garages and the pit entrance and exit.

“There are different opinions on that,” admitted Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali at the Nurburgring, admitting that “some manufacturers” are not keen.

“This is a topic that in my view, because of the situation that it is for 2014, it can still be discussed, we have the time to discuss it in a proper way,” he added.

Domenicali said one potential problem is that F1 would lose some “passion” with a silenced pitlane, while another is that cars not making any sound could be a safety issue for those working in the area.

Agreed Renault technical director James Allison, who is also FOTA’s new technical chief: “There are pros and cons with it from an operational point of view that we’re still discussing.”

Red Bull’s preparations for the FIA clampdown on so-called ‘hot’ exhaust diffuser blowing are well advanced, Dr Helmut Marko has warned.
Marko said on Austrian television Servus TV that he regards the clampdown as a move against Sebastian Vettel’s dominance, after Red Bull pioneered and perfected the technology for its RB7 car.

But team owner Dietrich Mateschitz’s right-hand man on F1 matters warned: “We would not be Red Bull if we did not already have ideas about how to mitigate the effect (of the ban).”

Off-throttle hot-blowing will be effectively banned from Silverstone next month, and on Tuesday it emerged that the FIA has immediately banned teams from running highly aggressive engine maps in qualifying and then switching to a more reliable race mode for the grand prix.

Marko has compared the FIA’s moves with the end-of-season banning of double diffusers and F-ducts, noting that “This time it (the ban) seems to be in a hurry.

“I would say it is about (the dominance of) Red Bull,” he charged.

But the Austrian thinks McLaren will be similarly affected by the clampdown because “they copied our system very well”, while Ferrari “never really got it under control”.

Marko, meanwhile, predicted Renault – with unique front-exiting exhausts – to be hit particularly hard.

But Renault’s technical director James Allison responded: “Some teams will lose more and some teams less; it is hard to know exactly what relative loss we will suffer.”

Meanwhile, a FIA spokesman explained that the immediate engine-mapping clampdown is because the spirit of the ‘parc ferme’ rules was being exploited.

Charlie Whiting’s technical note to the teams on Tuesday insisted that cars “should be raced exactly as they qualified”.

According to widespread speculation at Valencia, Renault’s claim that its 2011 car is “aggressive” and innovative is not just standard pre-season rhetoric.
Many insiders were left impressed and scratching their heads after the new black and gold R31 was unveiled in the Ricardo Tormo circuit pitlane on Monday.

Even the closer inspection of close-up photographs did not solve a mystery about the whereabouts of the car’s engine exhaust exits — amid rumours the outlets could even be near the front of the car for aerodynamic purposes.

Team owner Gerard Lopez told reporters the 2011 car is “quite revolutionary in a number of areas”, and technical boss James Allison is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport as saying the R31 is a “very bold design”.

France’s Auto Hebdo quoted Allison as saying: “It is right to say this car is ambitious and differs in its entire concept not only from last year but from all the cars previously made by this team.”

Auto Motor und Sport also said the purpose of two channels alongside the airbox and engine cover is “not yet apparent”, adding that an element of the rear wing is “also unusual”.

Also exciting the technically-minded observers is the Red Bull-like pull-rod rear suspension, but Polish driver Robert Kubica told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he is not setting his heart on race wins.

“I don’t want to say too much because the last time we spoke about winning races, I was with BMW and half the season was a disaster,” he said.