Toto Wolff stands by his assertion that some F1 teams have broken the rules by finding a particular method of flexing certain areas of the floor on their cars. Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, the FIA announced a new Technical Directive regarding the skid planks under the floor of F1 cars. Under the current regulations, the FIA check the floor at three specific points, with those locations not allowed to flex more than two millimetres. However, from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards, a stiffening of the plank skids will come into effect, as well as clarification on how wear will be measured. This change had originally been planned to take place in time for the upcoming French Grand Prix, but has since been pushed back to after F1's summer break.
Wolff: It's clearly against the regulations
Wolff has explained why he continues to believe that what some teams are doing is not in line with the current regulations. "Some teams have skids that actually disappear when the car hits the bottom [of the ground]," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365.com . "The reason for skids is that they are the limitation of how much [wear of the board] you can have. If the skid can disappear miraculously into the floor, that is clearly against the regulations. "Then the second thing is there is a plank that can deflect, or that basically also moves away more than the tolerance should be."
Why Wolff believes that competitors could be gaining an advantage
In terms of the possible advantage that this could create, Wolff continued: "The tolerance is one millimetre, and if a plank moves away many more millimetres up into the car, obviously, you gain some performance there too. "I think the first one [the flexing floor] is going to disappear for Spa [the Belgian Grand Prix]. "The second one is going to be clarified in next year's regulations." Short-term measures to tackle porpoising will also come into effect at Spa-Francorchamps, with longer-term fixes being considered for the 2023 season .
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