Red Bull could lose up to five tenths of a second per lap when the exhaust blowing clampdown takes effect at Silverstone next weekend.
But team boss Christian Horner has thrown a cat amongst the pigeons by saying on Austrian television Servus TV that, until now, the RB7 has only been benefitting from “cold blowing”, not the “hot” concept that is so effective when the drivers are off the throttle under braking and in corners.

“In our case, this (effect) happens only with cold-air blowing. Other teams blow hot air and get even more benefit,” said the Briton.

If true, Red Bull’s key rivals might fall even further away from the pace of the dominant RB7 in Britain and beyond.

“How this affects us compared to the others, we will only see at Silverstone. According to our simulation it’s as much as 3 to 5 tenths and perhaps a bit more with some other teams,” said Horner.

Former F1 driver Karl Wendlinger said: “I believe Red Bull’s superiority will be greater at Silverstone. The (exhaust) system is being banned for all but Adrian Newey is a genius in aerodynamics and this is very important at Silverstone.”

But McLaren reserve driver Pedro de la Rosa told EFE news that “nobody has the foggiest idea” how precisely the field will line up in Britain.

“It will have a strong impact and the cars will be slower because of the lost downforce,” he said.

“There is a ray of hope, as we all know which car was the pioneer of the technique and have been able to maximise the performance better than anyone else,” said the Spaniard, presumably referring to Red Bull.

At least Timo Glock is aware of the effect that the clampdown will have on his struggling Virgin car.

“We have never benefitted from this technology, so for us, everything stays the same,” the German told Auto Motor und Sport.

Renault’s F-duct will be seen at a grand prix circuit “soon”, according to team boss Eric Boullier.

Earlier this year, the Enstone based team said it would not waste resources on the downforce-stalling innovation.

But given that several of Renault’s key rivals including Mercedes, Sauber, Williams and Force India have implemented the McLaren-pioneered system, Boullier revealed in April that the team is now “actively working” on an F-duct design.

France’s Auto Hebdo said a date for the debut has not been set, but the solution is expected to prove a significant advantage on the long straights of Montreal’s Circuit de Villeneuve in two weeks.

“I can tell you that the F-duct will be tested soon,” Boullier confirmed.  “We are going to use it soon but we want to make sure it works 100 per cent before we put it into a race.”

Only Toro Rosso and the three new teams are not working on F-ducts.

(GMM)

Lewis Hamilton on Monday admitted he is worried about Red Bull’s plans to introduce an F-duct this weekend in Turkey.

The downforce spoiling concept was pioneered this year by McLaren, but key rivals including Ferrari and Mercedes have steadily followed suit.

The system promises a straightline speed boost, which is an ominous prospect for Red Bull’s rivals, given the current dominance of the championship leading RB6 car.

“With this system the best team becomes even stronger,” 2008 world champion Hamilton is quoted by Germany’s Sport Bild.

“The RB6 has many good, detailed solutions. I have already told my engineers that we must copy them,” added the Briton.
(GMM)