The double diffuser banned from 2011?

The double diffuser, allowed in 2009 after multiple debates, is on the verge of being banned from single-seaters as early as 2011. The British automotive magazine Autosport has indeed revealed that teams are in advanced discussions.

The 2009 regulations were quite open. At the start of the season last year, the double diffuser was then developed on the Brawn GP, Williams, and Toyota with good performances. Threatened, the other teams questioned the concept at the regulatory level, creating a debate that lasted several months. Ultimately, the double diffuser, highlighting the small teams – which became big – was legalized by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), forcing the other 7 teams to develop their own concept as best they could.

The double diffuser was supposed to provide an advantage of 7 tenths per lap, allowing Brawn GP to widen the gap from the start of the championship and thus offset the effects of the 2009 regulation aimed at reducing the downforce of F1 cars. Indeed, since 2008, the FIA has aimed to reduce the downforce of the single-seaters in order to decrease the level of competitiveness of a Formula 1 car and particularly of the top teams.

Thus, in 2011, to avoid returning to a support level similar to that of 2008, the teams are in negotiations with the Federation to ban the double diffuser. A working group (TRWG – Technical Regulations Working Group) was created within the FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) to support the ban. The working group thus plans a flat diffuser, connected in a single line from the beginning to the end of the car: a floor without any grooves.

The initial analyses indicate a loss of competitiveness of about one second per lap, as well as a loss of grip in corners and an understeer effect. Mike Gascoyne, technical director of Lotus, confirms that negotiations are advanced and that the double-diffuser will be suspended in 2011.

« I think it’s a good thing. We should validate this agreement for the good of everyone, and that’s why FOTA and the FIA are working together for 2011. It’s a sensitive topic, and it’s easier to agree on the regulations sooner. » Gascoyne wants to avoid last year’s controversy on the subject: « You just have to write it down, and everyone is okay. »

Initially, the Federation aims to enhance the spectacle during the race and increase the number of overtakes. According to Gascoyne, the FIA has not succeeded, and removing the double diffuser can only improve the situation: « I don’t think the number of overtakes has decreased, but what’s certain is that the efforts to increase overtakes have not been sufficient. »

This upcoming ban then sparks a new debate concerning costs in Formula 1. The design of a new flat floor requires significant developments in the rear suspension and gearbox. The topic is therefore not yet closed.