Ferrari have once again been accused of flouting the rules and have been quizzed about the legality of the car that has dominated the last two Grands Prix.
No surprise then to discover that their accusers - McLaren Mercedes and BMW-Williams - believe that some aerodynamic parts on the new Ferrari F2002 do not comply with Formula One's rules. But Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn has rejected their claims and the car has been declared legal by F1's governing body, the FIA.
It was only a question of time before the two big-hitters trying to play catch-up, flexed their muscles and waded in with some objection as the F2002 romped away in its first two outings this season. This latest dispute blew up at the San Marino Grand Prix, where Williams and McLaren complained that the barge boards on the Ferrari were flexing.
Not for the first time, the curved pieces of bodywork that stick out from the side of the car behind the front wheels, have been contested by rival teams.
Attention had been drawn to these parts by some slow-motion footage of Schumacher driving over kerbs at a chicane. The FIA is understood to have checked the parts at the race and declared them legal.
The FIA believes that the movement was started by the impact of the car hitting the kerbs, setting up an oscillation in the car's floor, to which the barge boards are attached. One top-level source has told the British Broadcasting Corporation that the complaints of Ferrari’s illegality were "nonsense".
There had also been complaints at the previous race in Brazil that a part of the Ferrari's rear wing was flexing backwards more than it should. This would make the car faster on the straight by reducing drag.
The FIA checked the Ferrari along with other cars after Brazil and found they were one of three teams with rear wing parts that "were a little more flexible than the others," according to a source.
Ferrari accepted the FIA's decision and strengthened the wing for San Marino, which they dominated. Brawn has been angered by the complaints from his rivals. He implied that Williams and McLaren were looking for excuses to explain why they were being beaten, and was unhappy that Ferrari's success had been tarnished.
"If you have a quick car, people try to look for easy answers," Brawn said. "It is down to a lot of very hard work by skilled people and that is why we have a very quick car." And Brawn has fired back his own accusations by claiming that McLaren and Williams, who use Michelin tyres, are bending the rules governing tyre use.
Brawn, whose Ferrari team use Bridgestone tyres, says his rivals are exploiting a loophole in the rules governing how many tyres can be used in Friday free practice at a Grand Prix. Brawn says he will continue to argue his point, but so far the FIA has rejected his complaints and said there will be no change in the existing conventions.
Source:
www.espnstar.com
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