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F1 rules are 'never clear' - Brawn

Ross Brawn suspects teams will continue to use exhaust gases to aid aerodynamics in 2012 © Sutton Images

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Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has said the regulations in Formula One are never 100% clear and he suspects teams will continue to make the most of exhaust-blown aerodynamics in 2012.

The FIA have effectively banned exhaust-blown diffusers this year by limiting the positioning and angling of the exhaust pipes at the rear of the car. However, several teams have already been seen testing different solutions that appear to direct the exhaust gases towards specific parts of the car.

Asked if the rules were clear this year, Brawn said: "They're never clear. I've never known a season in Formula One when they are clear. You start with what you think is an understanding of the regulations and then somebody has a clever interpretation and that's the nature of the business. But there are boundaries and there are limits that we always try to maintain. There are already debates going on about engine mappings and exhaust positions, that started already, so not unusual for Formula One."

He added: "For sure the exhaust effect has been reduced, but you don't forget things you've learned. We've all learned a tremendous amount about the exhaust technology in the last year or two, how the exhausts can be used to help the aerodynamics, and we're not going to forget that.

"There will be attempts to continue to try and get the maximum from the exhaust technology. There may well be other areas that evolve - it is the nature of Formula One. There are a lot of bright people trying to take advantage of the regulations and there will either be something happening or something just around the corner."

Another change to the regulations for 2012 has been a restriction on the height of the nose of the car, leading to an ugly step where it joins the rest of the chassis. Brawn hinted that the teams are already looking into ways to eliminate the step in the future.

"It is quite a striking feature, but it's not a huge performance area," he said. "It's beneficial, otherwise we wouldn't have done it, but it's not dramatic. I think we'll get use to the look, although it's not the most elegant of things. I suspect the teams may well agree to reduce the effects, to reduce the damage or difference between the height of the chassis and the nose.

"But the nose was done for a good reason, it was to keep the nose at a correct height so that in a side impact when you hit another car the nose is nice and low and won't go over the top of the cockpit. That's the important thing we've achieved and I think we'll get use to the looks and people will find ways of making it aesthetically a little bit better. But that's Formula One in 2012 - the year of the stepped nose."

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