FIA set to ban Front & Rear Interconnected Suspension from Germany onwards.

Formula 1's FRIC suspension systems, believed to be one of the strengths of the dominant Mercedes car, could be banned for the German Grand Prix, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

Less than a fortnight before the next race at Hockenheim, the FIA has informed F1 teams that it believes the Front-and-Rear Interconnected Suspension (FRIC) systems used by most of them are illegal.

According to sources, the governing body wrote to teams on Tuesday to tell them that following detailed investigations into the design of the FRIC systems, it believes they are in contravention of the rules.

In the note, a copy of which has been seen by AUTOSPORT, 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 suggests that the way the suspension systems help control pitch and roll could be in breach of article 3.15 of F1's technical regulations.

Article 3.15 is the catch-all regulation that relates to moveable aerodynamic devices. It outlaws any part of the car that influences the aerodynamics that is not "rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom)."

The FRIC systems link the front and rear suspension to maintain a constant ride height for improved performance.

Lotus (then called Renault) was the first team to introduce the concept in 2008.

Mercedes more recently took the design to the next level and is now believed to run the most complicated system, however it is unclear which team would suffer the most from a ban.

With limited testing time before the next race at Hockenheim, and 2014 designs being based around FRIC, the FIA is open to delaying the ban if there is consensus among teams.

It has asked teams to vote on whether or not they will be in favour of delaying the ban until the start of 2015 rather than it coming into force for the German GP.

However, for that to happen it would require unanimous support from all the teams on the grid.

It is unclear how easy it will be to achieve unanimous support for a delay - especially if any team feels its FRIC design is not as good as a rival's, or indeed if a team is not running the system at all.

If unanimous support is not reached, then Whiting has made it clear that from the next race in Germany, any team running FRIC risks being reported to the stewards by the FIA for non-compliance with the regulations.

The fact that the FIA has indicated it believes FRIC to be illegal also opens the door for a team to protest one of its rivals from the next race.

Following the British Grand Prix, Formula 1 teams received an FIA technical directive that aims to ban hydraulically interconnected suspension, better known as FRIC.

While not coming completely out of the blue, as the FIA had plans in place to ban the system as part of the cost-cutting measures, the urgency in the technical directive did come as a surprise.

F1 teams need to unanimously agree to run the system until the end of the year, or it will be banned for the next race in Germany in just under two weeks' time. This presents the F1 pack with a huge technical hurdle to overcome - potentially within a very short timescale.

FRIC has been around F1 for a long time - its earliest incarnations predate the active suspension era and its latest generation has been on the cars since 2008.

Now every team has a system of some description, although several teams are still in their first year or two of experience of the set-up.

Those teams that adopted the system early, such as Lotus, Mercedes, Ferrari and Marussia, have the car's design fully adapted to the slightly different mechanics of the FRIC.

In most cases teams have replaced the third heave element on each end of the car with a hydraulic element. The chambers in the telescopic device compress hydraulic fluid that passes along the car, through valves and accumulators to a matching device at the other end of the car.

Removing the system and replacing it with an unconnected set-up is not quite as simple as it sounds. The car's ride height, mechanical and aero set-up will all need to change.

The teams with suspension fully optimised around the FRIC design do not necessarily have the mounting points for a full complement of side, heave and roll elements that an unconnected system requires. There may not be the space or sufficient hard points inside the car to create these at short notice.

As a result the extremely low ride heights at the front of the car, which FRIC allows teams to run, will have to be compromised. A raised front ride height is required to keep the splitter and plank off the track and avoid them suffering excessive wear.



With these higher ride-heights the cars' front wing and underbody will need to be changed. Different specifications of wing and floor are designed for specific ride height ranges, and as the car will have to run higher, the bodywork will need optimising to cope with this. Otherwise the car will lose downforce and suffer balance changes at different speeds.

It could be argued that a rushed FRIC ban will be unsafe, but it is probably more fair to say that the change will compromise cars' handling and teams' ability to predict it. But there should not be the dramatic effect seen when active suspension was banned for 1994.

In any rule change there will be winners and losers, and the teams mentioned above with more time and car design invested in FRIC will suffer the most. Those on the initial learning curve will be able to step back earlier and will most likely have the car equipped to run without FRIC anyway.

As a ban under the cost cutting measures was already mooted, some teams had already commenced a test programme to research their car's performance without FRIC. This could help them if a unanimous decision cannot be reached and the ban is applied with immediate effect.

As always with F1 it is the teams with resources and budget that will adapt to the change quickest regardless of their FRIC status.

It is unlikely to knock Mercedes' dominance of the sport this year, nor have a huge effect on the running order behind it.

Seems unnecessarily rushed to push this through in the middle of the season if it is a system relied on by all the cars (to a greater or lesser extent). Surely something that could be included in the changes in technical regulations for next season, so all the cars are resetting to a level playing field rather than having to try and adapt / modify / bodge chassis to create enough fixing points for a 'conventional' suspension system.

To stop it all teams would have to veto it but that's never going to happen. Mercedes run the most advanced of it and Force India don't run it at all plus RB & Ferrari also rumored to have one they can modify at will.

Im guessing it's why they let them know before the British GP so could prepare through testing this week.

Force India have run FRICS this year but removed it for Monaco as it malfunctioned.

If the seasons boring, rush through some technical ban.

nothing will happen. even if it miraculously does, damage has already been done by mercedes. sick n tired of these changes half way through a season, we had it with the tyres last year & it destroyed Force India's season. just leave it alone & add it to the TD for next season in the regs.

Red Bull and Mercedes won't run it in Hockenheim.

They shouldn't alter the rules halfway through a season. Leave it until the end. Too much tinkering.

The FIA always tinker though. It is a sign they want to tighten things up to make things closer. They did the same with Red Bull and their moveable front wing in recent times and meddled with the tyres. Anything to cover up for failed regulations which have failed to guarantee close (at the front of the field) racing.

CaledonianCraig wrote:The FIA always tinker though. Anything to cover up for failed regulations which have failed to guarantee close (at the front of the field) racing.

Spot on

Good point Craig. Good to see the pack catch up. Hope Hamilton can take it, but better if racing is closer.

TBH I'd like the other teams to check up with Mercedes, but I'm not a fan of the FIA making changes mid season.

Gerry SA wrote:TBH I'd like the other teams to check up with Mercedes, but I'm not a fan of the FIA making changes mid season.  

Of course there shouldn't be changes mid-season but we know the i stands for incompetence and remember who rules the roost.   

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Gerry SA wrote:TBH I'd like the other teams to check up with Mercedes, but I'm not a fan of the FIA making changes mid season.  

Of course there shouldn't be changes mid-season but we know the i stands for incompetence and remember who rules the roost.   

FIA = Ferrari international assistance   

Ferrari know they can only retain Alonso if, hook or crook, they can win a race or two this season.

this ban wont make ferrari any more competitive. i'm not even sure ferrari & alonso are even on good terms anymore. I think behind the scenes, action is underway to get vettel either next year or in 2016. as for the ban, pretty pointless as the damage is already done in both championships.

Teams have failed to unanimously agree, so FRIC WILL be banned for this weekend's Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. Money still got to b on Mercedes, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Red Bull pull something out of the bag this weekend.

This track is all wrong for RB. First sector - power, second sector - power, they only come into their element in the third sector. FRIC will have some effect for sure but Mercedes aren't suddenly going to lose a second of performance to everyone else. I expect status quo at the front but maybe some movement in the pack.

I thought the new Hockenheim was all about downforce, where Red Bull are strong.

First 2 sectors are classic Hockenheim. 3rd is a stadium sector, more mechanic grip than outright downforce

No huge straights like the old forest section though. After the hairpin, it's nearly all downforce sections.

Daniel Ricciardo preview comments, “There’s a few long straights there [at Hockenheim] so on paper it’s probably not the circuit that suits us the most to be honest,” he admitted. “Third sector in Germany should probably be good for us, but in the first two we’ll probably leak a big chunk of time. But let’s see how we go.”

“Budapest we can be a bit more optimistic for.”

Hockenheim is still a power circuit, even though it's been shortened. There are multiple long straights, which RB will struggle on.

If i were Mercedes id be more concerned about Williams then RB.

Exactly.

Rosberg goes into this race, having signed a new multi year deal.

Decent week for Rosberg.