22/08/2024
NEWS STORY
The FIA has made a rare mid-season change to the regulations following speculation over braking systems.
Among a number of changes agreed by the World Motor Sport Council during its most recent meeting was a change to the existing regulations in order to end speculation over a team thought to be using asymmetric braking.
Previously, Article 11.1.2 of the technical regulations read: "The brake system must be designed so that within each circuit, the forces applied to the brake pads are the same magnitude and act as opposing pairs on a given brake disc."
Now, however, an additional line reads: "Any system or mechanism which can produce systematically or intentionally, asymmetric braking torques for a given axle is forbidden."
While no team has been identified as having used asymmetric braking, talk in the paddock pointed to Red Bull, with some suggesting that the impending ban accounts for the team's drop in form since Miami, and even Max Verstappen's retirement from the Australian Grand Prix.
However, the FIA has denied the talk, insisting that the rule change isn't about what someone is currently doing but more about ensuring nobody tries it on in the future.
"There is no truth that any team was using such a system," said an FIA spokesperson.
McLaren famously had asymmetric braking in the late 1990s, its cars using a second brake pedal that could apply the brakes to just one side of the car.
The system produced almost instant results, with Mika Hakkinen improving by half-a-second in testing, ensuring that the Woking outfit incorporated it into its car for the remainder of the (1997) season.
The device, the brainchild of Steve Nichols was subsequently banned, the regulations stating that "any powered device, other than the system referred to in Article 11.6, which is capable of altering the configuration or affecting the performance of any part of the brake system is forbidden".