FIA says radical Lotus system ‘legal’
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| Will the Lotus Renault team run a radical braking system? Do the rules allow it? |
(GMM) Ferrari is awaiting a clarification about Lotus' reportedly radical braking system for its 2012 car, Stefano Domenicali has revealed.
It emerged this week that Lotus, formerly Renault, intends to run the system this season after debuting it during the young driver test late last year.
"I know that some teams and the FIA have exchanged letters," Ferrari team principal Domenicali is quoted by the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat from the 'Wrooom' media event in the Italian Dolomites.
"We are now expecting a definitive answer as to whether it is acceptable or not. Of course, we look at devices that affect the car's performance," he added.
La Gazzetta dello Sport quotes Domenicali as confirming that the Lotus system relates to braking stability.
The Spanish news agency Europa Press suggested that the legality of the system is being questioned because its movement reportedly affects the aerodynamics of the car.
"We need to wait to see the reaction of the FIA," added Domenicali.
Livio Oricchio, the correspondent for the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo, wrote from Ferrari's Madonna di Campiglio event that the FIA "has just declared legal the height control system developed by Lotus".
01/11/12 (GMM) Lotus could set the trend with the first major innovation of the 2012 season.
Finland's Turun Sanomat reports that Giorgio Piolo – arguably F1's most respected technical illustrator – has revealed that Lotus' new car features a radical braking system.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the system is similar to the mass damper innovation pioneered by the Enstone based team (then Renault) some years ago.
The innovation was reportedly discovered during the young drivers' test in Abu Dhabi.
Turun Sanomat explained that the driver-operated system involves adjustments to improve aerodynamic performance through the ride-height.
Lotus' drivers in 2011 are Kimi Raikkonen, the returning 2007 world champion, and reigning GP2 champion Romain Grosjean.