Formula 1 News: Off Throttle Blown Diffuser to be banned

During the Canadian GP FIA had made it clear to every team that they will be imposing a ban on Off Throttle Blown Diffuser from next week’s British GP. FIA imposed the ban because the off throttle diffuser was violating FIA’s law which prohibits that the driver’s action should not affect the aerodynamics of the car.

To be really precise FIA’s Article no. 3.15 of Formula One’s technical regulation states that, the final part of which states that ‘any car system, device or procedure which uses, or is suspected of using, driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is prohibited’. This rule was introduced in 2011 in order to stop the usage of any dice like F-Duct in a formula 1 car.

This is the technical part but many people believe that the Red Bull dominance in this season made FIA to make such a rule. However, these are only speculations.

The bigger question,however, is why FIA introduced such type of rule in the middle of the season which will cut the performance of the team who has dominated the grid in every sphere. FIA could have continued with the Blown diffuser in this season and then refined its rule for the next season.

The teams which are under the scanner or will be most affected by the ban is Red Bull and Renault, the two teams have pioneered and mastered the system. However, somewhere down the line every team from front to last will be affected by the ban. In the Montreal GP qualifying Narain even said that without the blown diffuser they would not have qualified for the race. The Off throttle blown diffuser provides quite a bit of advantage to the teams with the exhaust gasses.

If we look at it from other perspective than FIA is quite right in making such move because of one main reason i.e. the Formula 1 teams are getting too extreme with the diffuser stuff. Using the exhausts gasses to enhance the performance begun last year when again Red Bull had come up with the ‘blown diffuser’ concept. In the blown diffuser the exhausts gasses are deliberately put in front of the rear wheels in order to makes then move toward the rear diffuser. The airflow in the diffuser increases the down force in turn. This was a sound move as it did not violate any of the past and current regulations of Formula 1.

However, as the teams began to develop the diffusers , they began to exploit them even further. This season Red Bull racing team came up with the concept off throttle blown diffuser and then further exploited it and made a hot blown diffuser. In the off throttle blown diffuser when a driver lifts off the acceleration even then the blown diffuser is suddenly robbed of the additional airflow. This technique is known as ‘cold blowing’ in which the exhaust is still ‘blowing’ into the diffuser, but that airflow is now ‘cold’ since as there is no fuel or ignition is drawn in.

The off throttle blown diffuser is clearly violating the rules because the driver’s actions are affecting the aerodynamics of the car. Some of the teams get even more extreme with the introduction of new Hot Blown Diffuser. In this new device even when the driver lifts his acceleration ,the fuel ignites and increasing the amount, speed and temperature of the air which goes toward the blown diffuser.

FIA believes that they have made a right call by stopping the use off-throttle blown diffuser before the teams make a further improvement on it. The teams have started to find ways in order to reduce the effect of the ban by doing revisions in engine mapping and the design of the car.

There are chances that from Silverstone the world championship will start once again and it could even mark the end of Red Bull dominance. If that happens it will surely raise a debate on the implementation of new rules in the middle of the season. But, if it didn’t happen well, no one will able to stop the Bulls from capturing both the crowns yet again.