Ferrari, Mercedes and Alpine have confirmed they changed the configuration of their cars’ floors in reaction to an FIA directive which was issued ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Some of their rival teams are also understood to have altered their floors in order to comply with the directive which concerns the use of supporting skid blocks to reduce wear on their cars’ floor planks.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said the sport’s governing body indicated their floor complied with the regulations prior to the new directive. He said the interpretation offered by the new technical directive was peculiar and indicated the team considered challenging it.
“Yes, we had to make a change, but we had also the confirmation before this that the plank was legal, from the FIA,” he said.
Ferrari go into the final three races with a chance to win their first championship for 16 years. They lie 36 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship. Vasseur said he did not want the team to be distracted by a row over compliance.
“I think it was the right attitude for us not to fight because I want to stay focussed on the championship and not on this kind of a discussion,” he said. “But the approach was strange.”
Separately, the team confirmed it has made a series of changes to the floor of its SF-24 this weekend which it described as “not event-specific.” The fences at the front of the floor, its main body and the edge have all been revised.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
In its pre-race submission to the FIA Ferrari said the update “features reworked front floor fences targeting an improvement of the losses travelling downstream.”
“The front floor body volume has subsequently reoptimised, together with the floor edge loading and vortex shedding into the diffuser,” it added.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed “we had to change the way we run the floor as well” ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. George Russell lost victory in the Belgian Grand Prix earlier this year when his car’s plank was found to be excessively worn.
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…