Teams satisfied with mass damper ban.
Several team principals have given their cautious backing to the decision passed by the FIA over the use of mass dampers, a situation that came to a head this week when Renault were forced to remove theirs.
Used by some of the teams, only Renault have been able to extract a performance advantage from their system, which is an aerodynamic device to improve front-end stability, but while they have used it throughout this season, it is only now the FIA have actively proceeded to outlaw it.
Several team principals have given their cautious backing to the decision passed by the FIA over the use of mass dampers, a situation that came to a head this week when Renault were forced to remove theirs.
Used by some of the teams, only Renault have been able to extract a performance advantage from their system, which is an aerodynamic device to improve front-end stability, but while they have used it throughout this season, it is only now the FIA have actively proceeded to outlaw it.
It was a move that all team principals attending the press conference ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix gave their backing to, suggesting that the championship should not ultimately be decided by whether or not teams use mass dampers.
"We've not used the mass damper in a race situation," said Honda team principal Nick Fry. "We have tested mass damper devices. If the mass damper had not have been banned there's a very high probability we would have been using a mass damper in this race and beyond because it's taken some time to develop.
"I think mass dampers were developing in a way - and maybe what you've just seen from us this weekend would have fulfilled the worst fears of the FIA in that they were developing in a way that probably wasn't very fruitful so personally I think the FIA decision is a good one."
Frank Williams however has raised concerns about the scrutineering of the cars, claiming he finds it strange that such a tried and tested system had been used without query for so long.
"I've no quarrel what the FIA chose to do," he said. "We never attempted to make a mass damper but I idly ask myself the question - it's a strange time, and I don't mean in a way that's detrimental to the reputation of the FIA - it's a strange time to discover this technology.
"I can therefore only presume it's just arrived in the Renault, or was it there a season ago? What I'm saying in a different way is, just how thoroughly does the FIA investigate all cars at the beginning of the season, every quarter. It's an open question."
