Force India feels the benefit of exhaust-blown diffusers ban
Silverstone - Formula 1 team Force India launch their new car, the VJM05 Paul di Resta - driver Nico Hulkenberg - driver Jules Bianchi - reserve driver Robert / Bob Fernley - deputy team principal Otmar Szafnauer - chief operating officer Andrew Green - technical director
FORCE India will be one of the main beneficiaries of the decision to ban exhaust-blown diffusers in Formula 1, according to the team’s technical director.
Speaking at the launch of the Silverstone-based team’s new car, the VJM05, at the Northamptonshire circuit on Friday, Andrew Green admitted the team had not made as much use as it could have of the technology during 2011, but said he believed this could only help the outfit close the gap to its rivals in 2012.
He said: “We were a little bit late to the party and I don’t think we extracted its full potential by a long way.
“I think there are teams out there that extracted way more than we did and hopefully that will hurt them more than it’s going to hurt us [this season].
“We spent the winter trying to salvage back all that downforce it cost us and we’re getting closer.”
Asked if he believed the rule change would close-up the field in 2012, he added: “I think so. We will see what happens at [the first race at] Melbourne but my feeling is the big teams did extract a lot from it and so [the ban] should close the field up.
“You only have to look at Silverstone [last year], where the regulations changed for a fraction of a second, and the grid did appear to close up.”
Green said the team’s new car was “a big departure” from its predecessor, but said he believed it was a change in the right direction.
He said: “The biggest change for us is the aerodynamic philosophy on the car, starting on the front and the new front wing, which sets up all the basic structures down the car. That’s a big step for us.
“It took us quite a long time to wean ourselves out of the old philosophy. We did some testing last year trying to move away from it and used that knowledge over the winter to try to come up with a new philosophy for the front.
“It’s a big departure from where it was before but the [wind] tunnel numbers are quite encouraging and we’re quite looking forward to getting it on the track and seeing what it does.”
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