Why is Renault not disqualified for using the mass damper?

Why is Renault not disqualified for using the mass damper?

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DOCG

Original Poster:

603 posts

60 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
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Surely they should be disqualified from all races which were run with an illegal car, just as all of Martin Brundle and Tyrell's results were in 1984? Thus giving Michael Schumacher a record-breaking eighth world title?

Slyjoe

1,520 posts

217 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
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Because it wasn't illegal in any way shape or form when they started using it. As with all F1 innovations, they are legal until deemed otherwise.

Muzzer79

10,846 posts

193 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
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In any case, every team signs up to the FIA statutes which state that once the prize-giving ceremony has taken place and the trophies awarded, there is no process to appeal the results of that season.

It’s the same brick wall that Felipe Massa will hit in his case regarding 2008.

GlobalRacer

311 posts

19 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
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So by that token Mercedes should be DQ'ed for the DAS system and McLaren should be for the f-duct. All three are very different from what Tyrell did.

Eric Mc

122,699 posts

271 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
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DOCG said:
Surely they should be disqualified from all races which were run with an illegal car, just as all of Martin Brundle and Tyrell's results were in 1984? Thus giving Michael Schumacher a record-breaking eighth world title?
I thought for a second that you were implying Tyrell’s disqualification in 1984 gave Schumacher her s 8th world title.

DOCG

Original Poster:

603 posts

60 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
quotequote all
Slyjoe said:
Because it wasn't illegal in any way shape or form when they started using it. As with all F1 innovations, they are legal until deemed otherwise.
There was no rule change that made it illegal, the FIA clarified it was in breach of the rules, which meant it was illegal all along.

Muzzer79

10,846 posts

193 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
quotequote all
DOCG said:
Slyjoe said:
Because it wasn't illegal in any way shape or form when they started using it. As with all F1 innovations, they are legal until deemed otherwise.
There was no rule change that made it illegal, the FIA clarified it was in breach of the rules, which meant it was illegal all along.
Doesn’t matter. Statutes are done, season over. It’s too late.

DaveTheRave87

2,127 posts

95 months

Monday 25th September 2023
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DOCG said:
Slyjoe said:
Because it wasn't illegal in any way shape or form when they started using it. As with all F1 innovations, they are legal until deemed otherwise.
There was no rule change that made it illegal, the FIA clarified it was in breach of the rules, which meant it was illegal all along.
Not quite. The FIA changed the way that they were interpreting a rule, which meant that they would start referring a car with a mass damper to the stewards. It would have been the stewards who would have determined the legality of the car.

MustangGT

12,042 posts

286 months

Monday 25th September 2023
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Slyjoe said:
Because it wasn't illegal in any way shape or form when they started using it. As with all F1 innovations, they are legal until deemed otherwise.
That is not quite true. Parts are often developed to meet testing regimes, rather than the rules. A good example is flexible wings. Rules did not change, merely the method of testing. All of a sudden teams needed to use a less flexible wing. In my view the original wings clearly broke the rules, i.e. illegal. Action should have been taken over teams that needed to change the wings to meet the new tests.

TheDeuce

24,349 posts

72 months

Monday 25th September 2023
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MustangGT said:
Slyjoe said:
Because it wasn't illegal in any way shape or form when they started using it. As with all F1 innovations, they are legal until deemed otherwise.
That is not quite true. Parts are often developed to meet testing regimes, rather than the rules. A good example is flexible wings. Rules did not change, merely the method of testing. All of a sudden teams needed to use a less flexible wing. In my view the original wings clearly broke the rules, i.e. illegal. Action should have been taken over teams that needed to change the wings to meet the new tests.
Also it was when it was defined as 'moveable aero' that it effectively became outlawed. Personally, I think that's just a handy catch all rule that the FIA can choose to apply to many things whilst ignoring other things that are arguably far closer to moveable aero..

Anyway, there was no appetite to punish Renault, they hadn't done anything wrong, other than to implement something that after a period of consideration the FIA decided they wanted to kill off - for sensible reasons too. Not all areas of innovation are wise to be left to be adopted and further developed by all teams.

GlobalRacer

311 posts

19 months

Monday 25th September 2023
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As Adrian Newey (and others) say over and over there is no such thing as the intent of the rules just what they say. If there is a test and the part passes that test then it's legal end of. Trying to get a bunch of lawyers to determine what is and isn't flexible would take years and cost millions hence why there are prescribed tests.

kambites

68,188 posts

227 months

Monday 25th September 2023
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GlobalRacer said:
As Adrian Newey (and others) say over and over there is no such thing as the intent of the rules just what they say. If there is a test and the part passes that test then it's legal end of. Trying to get a bunch of lawyers to determine what is and isn't flexible would take years and cost millions hence why there are prescribed tests.
True, but irrespective of that, the fact that something entirely enclosed in bodywork was deemed an "aerodynamic device" is a bit of a joke anyway!

MustangGT

12,042 posts

286 months

Monday 25th September 2023
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GlobalRacer said:
As Adrian Newey (and others) say over and over there is no such thing as the intent of the rules just what they say. If there is a test and the part passes that test then it's legal end of. Trying to get a bunch of lawyers to determine what is and isn't flexible would take years and cost millions hence why there are prescribed tests.
The rule states the wing cannot move, it does not define a limit. The testing method changed, not the rule. The teams had designed movement within the testing parameter. This is not in line with the rule, therefore illegal.

TheDeuce

24,349 posts

72 months

Monday 25th September 2023
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MustangGT said:
GlobalRacer said:
As Adrian Newey (and others) say over and over there is no such thing as the intent of the rules just what they say. If there is a test and the part passes that test then it's legal end of. Trying to get a bunch of lawyers to determine what is and isn't flexible would take years and cost millions hence why there are prescribed tests.
The rule states the wing cannot move, it does not define a limit. The testing method changed, not the rule. The teams had designed movement within the testing parameter. This is not in line with the rule, therefore illegal.
Hmmm it's a tricky one. You're dead right that it's not legal in the sense that it's breaking the rules as written, irrespective of passing the test.

However, once the FIA have applied all required tests to a car/component, they would say it was legal. In the same way a CRB check on a prolific bank robber would say he had no record, right up until the day they find a new way to collect evidence and realise he's robbed 23 banks.

But this is not the same as the mass damper anyway, That was fully legal and within the rules as written - it was only because the FIA determined it was moveable aero that it then became, moving forwards, illegal. They only made that definition as a way to ban it, and it did need banning, but obviously the definition is pretty dumb.


MustangGT

12,042 posts

286 months

Monday 25th September 2023
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TheDeuce said:
MustangGT said:
GlobalRacer said:
As Adrian Newey (and others) say over and over there is no such thing as the intent of the rules just what they say. If there is a test and the part passes that test then it's legal end of. Trying to get a bunch of lawyers to determine what is and isn't flexible would take years and cost millions hence why there are prescribed tests.
The rule states the wing cannot move, it does not define a limit. The testing method changed, not the rule. The teams had designed movement within the testing parameter. This is not in line with the rule, therefore illegal.
Hmmm it's a tricky one. You're dead right that it's not legal in the sense that it's breaking the rules as written, irrespective of passing the test.

However, once the FIA have applied all required tests to a car/component, they would say it was legal. In the same way a CRB check on a prolific bank robber would say he had no record, right up until the day they find a new way to collect evidence and realise he's robbed 23 banks.

But this is not the same as the mass damper anyway, That was fully legal and within the rules as written - it was only because the FIA determined it was moveable aero that it then became, moving forwards, illegal. They only made that definition as a way to ban it, and it did need banning, but obviously the definition is pretty dumb.
Yes, agree. Absolutely not the same as the mass damper in any way. Mass damper is more like DAS.

TheDeuce

24,349 posts

72 months

Monday 25th September 2023
quotequote all
MustangGT said:
TheDeuce said:
MustangGT said:
GlobalRacer said:
As Adrian Newey (and others) say over and over there is no such thing as the intent of the rules just what they say. If there is a test and the part passes that test then it's legal end of. Trying to get a bunch of lawyers to determine what is and isn't flexible would take years and cost millions hence why there are prescribed tests.
The rule states the wing cannot move, it does not define a limit. The testing method changed, not the rule. The teams had designed movement within the testing parameter. This is not in line with the rule, therefore illegal.
Hmmm it's a tricky one. You're dead right that it's not legal in the sense that it's breaking the rules as written, irrespective of passing the test.

However, once the FIA have applied all required tests to a car/component, they would say it was legal. In the same way a CRB check on a prolific bank robber would say he had no record, right up until the day they find a new way to collect evidence and realise he's robbed 23 banks.

But this is not the same as the mass damper anyway, That was fully legal and within the rules as written - it was only because the FIA determined it was moveable aero that it then became, moving forwards, illegal. They only made that definition as a way to ban it, and it did need banning, but obviously the definition is pretty dumb.
Yes, agree. Absolutely not the same as the mass damper in any way. Mass damper is more like DAS.
They even briefly considered whether or not DAS was somehow moveable aero I recall! Luckily common sense prevailed and they said fine, run it, very clever... The regs for next season will be amended to outlaw it.


thegreenhell

16,810 posts

225 months

Monday 25th September 2023
quotequote all
In a similar vein, why were Renault not disqualified for their own Spygate misdemeanour in 2007? McLaren were DSQ from the WCC and fined $100m for having Ferrari data, but Renault got away scot-free despite being found guilty at an FIA hearing of the same offences with McLaren data they had obtained.

Muzzer79

10,846 posts

193 months

Monday 25th September 2023
quotequote all
thegreenhell said:
In a similar vein, why were Renault not disqualified for their own Spygate misdemeanour in 2007? McLaren were DSQ from the WCC and fined $100m for having Ferrari data, but Renault got away scot-free despite being found guilty at an FIA hearing of the same offences with McLaren data they had obtained.
Because Flávio didn’t piss Max Mosley off like Ron Dennis did……

spikyone

1,560 posts

106 months

Monday 25th September 2023
quotequote all
kambites said:
True, but irrespective of that, the fact that something entirely enclosed in bodywork was deemed an "aerodynamic device" is a bit of a joke anyway!
IIRC the FIA's suggestion was that it was a "moveable device" that influenced "aerodynamics". A bit like Eric Morecambe's piano playing, it was all the right words but not necessarily in the right order...

HighwayStar

4,448 posts

150 months

Monday 25th September 2023
quotequote all
DOCG said:
Slyjoe said:
Because it wasn't illegal in any way shape or form when they started using it. As with all F1 innovations, they are legal until deemed otherwise.
There was no rule change that made it illegal, the FIA clarified it was in breach of the rules, which meant it was illegal all along.
I remember this back then. It wasn’t as simple as that… basically the other teams developed their own version of the Mass Damper, including Ferrari. Unable to gain similar benefits from it, Ferrari lobbied to have it banned. Successfully.
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/the-suspension-...