Needless to say, McLaren Mercedes were the only ones pushing for an F-duct system stay, as they were the first ones to debut the design this year. As soon as the FIA rules the new design as being legal, plenty of teams began a copying race in the series, as the device is believed to add downforce in corners and supply the car with some 6mph of extra speed in straight line.
Ferrari were the first ones to debut a definitive version of their own F-duct system last weekend, in Barcelona, but the media pointed out to the safety aspects of the design. Video footage showed that Fernando Alonso was using his left hand to tackle the airflow from the left side of his cockpit in straight line, taking his hand off the steering wheel.
Although Ferrari were not the only ones copying the design for their 2010 challenger – Williams, Sauber, Mercedes GP have also joined the race – the teams voted unanimously for an F-duct system ban for the season to come. One strong argument against the system is related to drivers' safety, argued Red Bull's Christian Horner.
“It is a clever piece of engineering and hats off to the guys who invented it, but some of the solutions this weekend look a bit marginal when you see drivers driving with finger tips and no hands,” said Horner, obviously refering to Ferrari's system.
“So I think there is a safety issue and a cost issue to take into account,” added the Red Bull principal, according to Autosport.
The F-duct system is the second aerodynamic device banned by the FOTA for the 2011 season of Formula One, after the outfits decided to ban the double diffusers for next season also.
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