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FIA declares Red Bull floor holes illegal

The hole in question © Sutton Images

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The FIA has issued a technical directive clarifying that the holes in the Red Bull floor, which sparked rumours of a protest at the Monaco Grand Prix, are illegal.

Since Bahrain, Red Bull has been running holes in the floor ahead of the rear wheels that its rivals felt were questionable under the sport's technical regulations. The RB8 passed scrutineering at the three races it entered with the holes in place, but after talk of its rivals protesting after the Monaco Grand Prix, the FIA has clarified that such a solution is illegal.

The holes contravene regulations that were introduced in 2011 to ban double diffusers, but Red Bull boss Christian Horner said there was a "grey area" in the rules that his team was exploiting. However, the FIA technical directive stated the governing body disagrees with Red Bull's interpretation as it would make Article 3.12.5 "superfluous".

SPEED TV.com published an extract from the technical directive, stating: "Following on from a number of discussions in Monaco, during which it became clear that certain misunderstandings existed, we feel it would be helpful to make our position clear with respect to the presence of a fully enclosed hole in any surface lying on the step plane.

"It has been argued that, as it is not explicitly stated that fully enclosed holes cannot be located in a surface lying on the step plane rearward of a line 450mm forward of the rear face of the cockpit template, then they may be located in such areas. We disagree with this view and consider it implicit that fully enclosed holes may not be located there."

Red Bull is now expected to revise its floor for next weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.