Blown Floor – OpenPaddock.net

F1 Soap Box – Changing the Goalposts

May 20, 2011May 23, 2011 mike

The world of F1 has an interesting argument brewing. The FIA is reinterpreting their rulebook and is now in the process of banning some of the exotic engine mapping techniques that the teams are using to gain downforce in the corners. Last year, Red Bull stunned the paddock by venting their engine exhausts directly onto their rear diffuser. In qualifying, they would use a different engine map that would keep engine revs high, even when the driver was not applying throttle at all. This allowed the car to gain additional…

F1 – Renault’s Trick Exhaust: Legal?

February 1, 2011 Doug Patterson

There’s been a flurry of unveilings for the 2011 Formula 1 chariots lately including the new machine from Renault Lotus R31 (The Group Lotus, not the Team Lotus). While because of the ever increasing strictness of the FIA regulations the cars are outwardly appearing more and more similar each year, there was something distinctly different about the R31: No exhaust outlets in the rear of the car! Racecar Engineering took a close look at the car during the reveal, and posted their findings in the article, Renault’s radical R31 exhaust…