Technical Regulations 2013
- Platypus nose
Changes to the rules in 2012 resulted in the development of
a "platypus" nose, with teams designing cars with a visible change in
height along the nose assembly of the car. The design attracted criticism, with
Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber labelling the cars "ugly" and
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali calling them "not that
pretty". At the 2012 Australian
Grand Prix, Charlie Whiting, the FIA technical delegate, announced that
although the changes to the sporting regulations planned for the 2014 season
would effectively remove the "platypus" effect, the sport's governing
body is planning to phase the stepped nose out for 2013. The FIA later accepted
a proposal that would allow teams to cover up the stepped nose with a
"modesty plate", a panel designed to obscure the step without
fundamentally altering the aerodynamic profile of the car or offering any
aerodynamic gain itself.
- Testing procedures front wings
The FIA will completely overhaul testing procedures for
front wings in 2013, introducing a more-comprehensive and strenuous series of
tests designed to root out the practice of exploiting flexible bodywork
regulations.
- Double DRS
The "double-DRS" system, first developed by
Mercedes for the W03 in 2012 will be banned in 2013. The device, which used a
series of channels that ran through the car to create a stalling effect over
the front wing when the rear wing Drag Reduction System was open, thereby
cancelling out the downforce generated under normal conditions, would allow the
car to achieve a higher top speed and better stability in fast corners The
system was the subject of several legal challenges early in the 2012 season and
rival team Lotus developed a similar system of their own before teams agreed to
a ban in July 2012. However, while the regulations specifically banned the
system developed by Mercedes, they make no provision for the variant developed
by Lotus.
