What actually was illegal with the pre-Imola Williams 2001 rear diffuser?

[Sodemo]

In 2001, (pre Imola) Williams were forced to change their rear diffuser because it "was against the spirit of the rules". No details were released about what was changed.
Does anyone have any info on this matter?:confused:

[Dino IV]

Copy-paste from June 10, 2001 > In the end of season 1999 Williams designed a new undertray which used the rule which allows holes in the downwards faced bodywork (like the reference plane and stepbottom) when no other bodywork is visible from underneath. They went to see FIA's Technical Deligate Charlie Whiting , showed him the idea and the final product after that, and he gave it the go-ahead-no-problem.

That rule was originally intended to allow bargeboards, which is bodywork ofcourse, seperately from the car's undertray, but because the FIA doesn't want to write down rules like 'we allow bargeboards like this (see drawing)' but deliberately wants to keep them vague and open to their own interpretation, the rule was formulated as above. You'll probably remember this specific rule because that was the one which had to do with the Ferrari bargeboards in '99.

Anyway, Williams designed their undertray in conformation with that rule last year. In developing the 2001-car they designed the whole chassis around that principle more properly, optimising the splitter position, the sidepods-chassis area etc.

'Suddenly' after Imola IIRC Charlie Whiting went to see Williams and said that 'a team' had complained about the Williams undertray and that they, the FIA, would issue a 'clearification of the rule' where they would declare the Williams solution illegal. After 18 months of using it, mind you!

That's what I meant with the FIA restricting Williams. So now Williams have a chassis, splitter, sidepods, so the whole car properly designed around that undertray ... only the undertray is suddenly dismissed. That's a huge setback, because you can't solve much about the basic feautures of the car during the season.

[Knowlesy]

Originally posted by Dino IV
'Suddenly' after Imola IIRC Charlie Whiting went to see Williams and said that 'a team' had complained about the Williams undertray..............

Ooh! I wonder who! Minardi?

[Bononi]

No, McLaren !

[Knowlesy]

Phoenix!

[ralf fan]

Fittipaldi!! (is this a name the team game?!)

[Knowlesy]

It would seem so! Yay!

[Woolley]

It was illegal because it wasn't on a Ferrari?

(See also tyres and brake steer, but not turning vanes)

[Adam43]

OK, we are at this point in several other thread. I don't think in needs to go any further.

Thanks Dino, for finding that very interesting answer.

[Phoenix1]

Originally posted by knowlesy
Phoenix!

It wasn't me gov!

[Dino IV]

Well, in reality it's a more complicated story, which will show that it's not only the red/blue/silver cars trying to tackle eachother. It wasn't even Ferrari which ousted Williams design. In fact it was BAR. Their aero-chief Willem Toet knew figured out the loophole as well and experimented in 2000 with it, even implementing it in the car in the latter stages of the season. He knew the advantages it offered, but also knew he had to design his 2001 BAR around it to make it work. And for that, he simply didn't had the guts. He reckoned Ferrari or someone else for that matter would find out sooner or later, pull some strings and had the FIA make it 'clear' not to use it. So he basically was a chicken.

To his big surprise, no one noticed the way Williams had designed their car around this loophole! For some reason - one could say BAR and Williams aren't exactly racing against each other so there's not a direct competition gain to be won - he decided to give away Williams' little secret. Maybe it was his own dissapointment for not being more daring in his design and he tought if I don't have it, no one else will. Anyway he decided to blow the whistle on the Williams' design. He didn't step up to Whiting himself tough. Perhaps he knew how to get things done in F1.

That's were the Red cars step in. He went to see his old friends at his former employer, had a chat with Brawn, dropped a little lead on the Williams design and Brawn made work of it. It probably made Toet feel a lot better and stopped some internal BAR questions why he didn't use the advantageous design if it wasn't banned. So after a chicken he now also became a rat.

[Yunis]

loop holes are exploited all the time so why did the fia rule it illigal? cus a team complained? thats stupid!

[Adam43]

Lots of winks there Dino!

It was often said the 2001 BAR was a 2000 Williams, but perhaps the next step of that design was taken...

[Gt_R]

If i'm not wrong, in "exchange" for declaring William's diffuser illegal, Williams had Ferrari's aero-suspension or something banned too, not?

[Glen]

Don't remember if that was a straght "exchange" - certainly it was around the same time.

Most folk here find it very easy to entirely forget any instance of Ferrari being brought in line - and indeed very easy to imagine that Ferrari were to blame for any other team getting pulled-up. They prpbably stopped reading as soon as BAR came up - they just don't want to know if it doesn't fit with their "Evil Empire" picture!