Google+ Jack Leslie F1: Formula 1 teams fail to agree on FRIC ban

15 July 2014

Formula 1 teams fail to agree on FRIC ban

F1 teams have failed to come to a unanimous agreement to delay the FRIC suspension system ban until 2015.
© Octane Photographic
Because of this, any team running the front-and-rear interconnected suspension system at this weekend's German Grand Prix will be at risk of being disqualified, should a rival outfit protest and the stewards agree that it is against the rules.

The FRIC ban was first revealed last week after FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting wrote a letter to the teams explaining that the system could be deemed illegal from the next race onwards.

There was the chance that it would be delayed to 2015 if the 11 outfit's on the grid unanimously agreed to not protest the use of the system for the remainder of the season.

However, an FIA spokesperson confirmed that the teams have unsurprisingly failed to come to an agreement in a statement on Tuesday (15th July 2014).

"We have not yet got, nor do we expect to get, the agreement of all teams to the proposed amnesty," it said.

Earlier reports by the media suggested that the six teams that make up the F1 Strategy Group (Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, Ferrari, Lotus, McLaren and Williams) all agreed to not protest the use of the FRIC system for the rest of the year.

However, smaller teams further down the grid disagree and are ready to protest should it be used. McLaren has already confirmed that it will not run with the system this weekend, to avoid potentially being excluded from the results.

Mercedes is thought to have the most sophisticated version of the technology, which maintains the ride height of the car to improve performance. With rival teams using less developed systems, a ban will see some gain more than others.

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