» FRIC suspension controversy to end?

A number of teams have opted to remove their complicated FRIC suspension designs in a bid to avoid falling foul of the FIA stewards at this weekend’s German Grand Prix.

Home crowd favourite and championship leaders Mercedes have joined the ranks of McLaren, Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Toro Rosso and Williams by confirming that they will not run the front-and-rear-interconnected suspension system.

Their announcement follows the sending of a letter by FIA race director Charlie Whiting last week, which voiced concerns over the legality of the concept’s continued use.

The concept allows for the movement of hydraulic fluid back and forth through the car to counter the weight transfer it experiences under braking and when cornering to give the benefit of better stability and tyre wear. While the concept works ‘passively’, by acting as a movable part in the car, it could be considered as illegal in the Technical Regulations.

Whiting hinted that while the teams were unable to unanimously agree to banning the concept outright until 2015, any teams which continue to use it in the interim could face the risk of protests from rival teams and possible exclusion by the race stewards.

Ferrari and Lotus are yet to confirm either way if they will risk running the FRIC designs this weekend, while other sources suggest that all even teams have opted to err on the side of caution and not run the devices.

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