New rear difusser in 2009

**DIEK** · 14th February 2009, 20:17

Rear difussers. The most competitive maybe Toyota & Williams, other teams probably copy them...

(Toyota/Williams)

(Other teams)

**Richred** · 15th February 2009, 02:44

great post !

..... copy y paste all teams !!

**Tifoso** · 15th February 2009, 03:25

Nice info, amico mio. Thanks

**jkwaggener** · 15th February 2009, 09:13

Thanks Diek

**DIEK** · 16th February 2009, 16:45

**SS454** · 16th February 2009, 16:51

Very cool to see. Ferrari's does look a bit ordinary, but that doesnt mean its bad. Its all about how it works with the rest of the car.

**zakfourie** · 16th February 2009, 17:03

I don't like this new look...
It looks so ordinary.

**jkwaggener** · 17th February 2009, 08:51

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/170220...confusion.html

Interesting article on the subject at hand....

Technical Talk: Diffusion confusion
Eurosport - Tue, 17 Feb 09:11:00 2009

With new regulations come new opportunities - and right now it seems Williams and Toyota are the teams to have struck the first success in exploring the boundaries of the new FIA rulebook. But will it turn out to be an own-goal when they get to Melbourne?

We have seen it time and time again when a step design change is brought in. As soon as the new regulations are revealed, designers painstakingly search for the loopholes in every area, working all the hours God sends to find that extra hundredth of a second.

And some react to their new challenges faster than others.

F1 design is a constant battle between the well-trained brains of the FIA and the eager minds of the team engineers. More often than not, the FIA wins - but on some occasions the designers manage to stay within the rules but think outside the box.

In this case, the design gurus in Grove and Cologne came up with a controversial solution to the diffuser regulations - the diffuser being the bit at the back of the car under the rear wing - that is certain to give their cars a competitive advantage.

It appears that a unique rear crash structure design on the cars in question enables the height of the diffusers to be greater than that allowed, enabling air to move faster underneath the rear wing therefore creating more downforce.

Not only does this issue draw interest from a design point of view, it also raises questions about potential competitive collaboration between the teams - with Williams using Toyota engines - considering only these two have come up with this solution.

The other teams, of course, dislike like being out-thought off the track as much as they hate being out-strategised on it and protests have already been mooted by teams fighting against the Williams and Toyota solutions.

For now, it seems, the FIA has given them the go-ahead, and Max Mosley admits the teams have been 'clever' in their interpretation of the wording in the rules - as was the case after a similar step change in the rules when cockpit head restraints were introduced in 1996.

Back then, Williams arrived in Melbourne with 'legality fins' which enabled their cockpit sides to be lower than their rivals', improving airflow over the car. They won. In fact, they finished first and second. And nobody could argue against it.

In this case, it is perhaps not so clear. And although Mosley is confident it is fine, the other teams could decide to wait patiently until Melbourne and then, if this new design appears to have gained a significant advantage, protest the issue formally to the race stewards. And they could have a different opinion...

Will Gray / Eurosport