Tech row dampens title battle

01st September 2006

The fantastic racing over the Turkish Grand Prix weekend was marred by technical rows. Renault in particular was dealt an early blow when its innovative ‘mass damper’ device was banned by stewards.

Much of Alonso’s early-season dominance has been attributed to mass damping, said to be worth up to half-a-second per lap. The device features a counterweight mounted within the nose of the car, designed to improve stability and tyre wear. Renault engineering chief Pat Symonds admitted: “We must accept the FIA’s decision and look to the future. We are working to solve the problems that it might cause.”

Meanwhile, the Ferraris angered rival teams by racing using fairings fixed around the centre of their wheels. The devices are supposed to be in place to cool the brakes, but some teams claim that they contravene the rules. McLaren boss Ron Dennis uncharitably referred to them as “dustbin lids”, and added: “There is a regulation that says you are not allowed to alter any aspect of the car during qualifying. Clearly, when you are changing wheels you are changing an element which is relevant to the brakes.”