Oh FRIC, teams fail to find agreement

As expected a unanimous decision regarding the current suspension systems could not be reached from the Formula One teams.

Which essentially means that Front-and-Rear Interconnected Suspension systems [known as FRIC], will be virtually banned with immediate affect starting at the German Grand Prix.

It’s only a virtual ban as teams will be able to run their systems, but if they do, they will leave themselves open to protest from other teams.

The news comes quickly as it was only last week that a note published by Autosport Magazine made public that FIA Formula One Race Director Charlie Whiting believes that all of the Formula One teams are currently breaking the regulations with the use of their Front-and-Rear Interconnected Suspension systems.

In the report Whiting said: ‘Having now seen and studied nearly every current design of front to rear linked suspension system we, the FIA, are formally of the view that the legality of all such systems could be called into question.’

Whiting believes that the FRIC system could be in breach of article 3.15 of F1’s technical regulations as the suspension systems can help control pitch and roll of the car which would be seen as a moveable aerodynamic device which are banned.

Autosport reported that the FIA were open to a suspension of the ban for the remainder of the 2014 Formula One World Championship due to a lack of testing time ahead of Hockenheim.

However with this requiring a consensus among teams, unanimous support was always unlikely.

‘We have not yet got, nor do we expect to get, the agreement of all teams to the proposed amnesty,’ An FIA spokesman confirmed to Autosport.

Rumours in the paddock suggest that whilst Formula One championship leaders Mercedes are likely to be the team worst hit by the removal of FRIC, it was not their closest rivals who would not agree a deal.

Instead it was the teams at the back of the grid who have opted to make things difficult for the top teams.