Renault wary of downforce loss
The FIA has clarified a regulation which now means teams are not allowed to use an engine map that would blow exhaust gases through the diffuser even when the driver is off-throttle. During the FOTA Fans' Forum Allison said that the impact of the change has been estimated at around 0.4s per lap on average, and speaking to ESPNF1 he said Renault had already done tested the new engine map during practice for the European Grand Prix.
"We'd be foolish to enter the race without some idea of what it was going to do," Allison said. "I don't think we would be alone in having had a little look at it at the last race either, because it's perfectly possible to mode in those engine mapping configurations and see how it behaved last race, so we did that."
Red Bull's Adrian Newey said he thought Renault would be hardest hit by the ban due to the nature of its innovative front-exiting exhaust system. Allison said he didn't know if that would turn out to be true, but that the R31's balance would not be affected. "I hope he's not right, but if we are we are. It's a clarification we didn't anticipate and I think I'm on record already as saying I would have preferred the status quo to have remained until the end of the year, but we'll just get on with it like everyone else.
"It will be how much downforce you'll lose and how much it affects the balance of your car. I can't say how much downforce we'll lose compared to other people; I know how much we'll lose, I know that it won't affect the balance of our car so that's sort of good but maybe we'll lose more downforce than other people. It will shake out in Silverstone and let's hope we're not too screwed up by it!" ESPN F1