Brawn unhappy with other teams exhausts?

Ross Brawn has taken a swipe at the exhaust designs of some rival teams, suggesting they have not been created in the way the rules intended.

Amid an ongoing row over the design of a DRS-activated F-duct on Brawn's own Mercedes car, the team principal thinks that it is wrong that his team is being singled out for technical scrutiny.

"Every year that I can remember, there is debate and argument," said Brawn about his car being at the centre of paddock gossip in Australia. "And probably, to be honest, what we have done is taken the spotlight off the exhaust systems that people are running because they are nowhere near what was intended by the FIA.

"The FIA probably told you all that we were not going to have exhaust blown diffusers any more. We thought we were not going to have them. But several cars have got them.

"Our wing system has probably taken the spotlight off something that was clearly never intended.

"F1 is very competitive, the people involved in it are extremely competitive, and it is the nature of F1. You have to work to written regulations and, if somebody can see a clever interpretation, then that is the nature of this business."

Although Brawn still faces the risk of a rival team protesting the legality of the rear wing design on his car, he has ruled out lodging a similar complaint against the exhaust designs elsewhere.

"We have already been through the FIA and challenged the FIA to its interpretation," he said. "They told us that they are comfortable with what has happened, so we respect that.

"We are now looking at the systems people are using to see if we feel that they could be a benefit to us. I suspect they will disappear next year."

Source: Autosport

Having exploited a loophole in 2009 I don't think Ross Brawn can complain about other teams exploits.

If it's not legal then he has every right to complain the same as Lotus are over their rear wing.

I've given up worrying about these things.

As Ross said, its down to how different teams interpret the design rules and whether the FIA find the interpretations merely bend or actually break the rules.

If you can "pull a fast one" (pun intended) and get away with it, then good for you. Interesting that he's not pointing fingers about which teams he suspects have played fast and loose with their exhaust designs.

In Mercedes' case, I don't think their F-duct is giving them much of an advantage, although that might be due to problems elsewhere on the car.

"Mercedes will be able to continue to run a controversial design feature on their car after governing body the FIA said it felt it was legal.

Rivals say a system that ducts air from the rear to the front of the car to boost straight-line speed is unlawful.

The system operates in conjunction with the DRS overtaking aid, which most teams understood to be limited to operation on the rear wing.

Rivals will now have to either protest the system or build their own."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17475179