According to Germany's Auto Bild Motorsport, the Brackley based engineers have come up with an automatic solution for the F-duct system, that wouldn't require the driver to do anything while driving. That would make it easier for the racer to focus on his driving and let the mechanism do his own thing.
If we are to trust the words of Mercedes' motorsport director Norbert Haug “right now it (the F-fuct system) is still in the experimental phase,” but the German hinted that “our solution is different from the other teams.”
The same source revealed that the system has a very high chance of debuting on the W01 from as early as next weekend's Turkish Grand Prix. The new F-duct would therefore replace the old design, which diverted the airflow at high speeds through a rear wing slot in a passive way.
The system was initially brought to life by McLaren Mercedes, whose engineers figured out a way to allow air to travel through the engine cover and out a slot in the rear wing via a driver-activated air inlet inside the cockpit. The driver would activate the system with his knees, adding an extra 6mph of speed in straight line.
The F-duct was recently banned for the next season following Ferrari's version of the design, which was debuted in Spain. Video footage showed Fernando Alonso trying to control the air flow in straight line by placing one of his hands on the side of the cockpit, which was considered highly dangerous.
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