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AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 31: Ross Brawn, Managing Director (Sporting) of the Formula One Group, talks in a press conference to announce the rules for the 2021 Formula One season during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on October 31, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 31: Ross Brawn, Managing Director (Sporting) of the Formula One Group, talks in a press conference to announce the rules for the 2021 Formula One season during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on October 31, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
2022 brings a new era in F1 with all new regulations. However, new regulations mean that gifted designers and engineers will look for every which way to find loopholes. One brilliant idea and they find themselves in control of the season.
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However, the so-called silver bullets aren’t easy to come by. Ross Brawn hit one such silver bullet that turned his team’s fortunes and led them to the drivers and constructors championships.
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He believes such masterstrokes will be rarer to come by in the future. Specifying that the rules do not allow teams to surprise each other like they used to.
F1 regulations very stringent?
Ross Brawn mentioned that the governance of springing surprises in the form of loopholes has improved over the years. He said “It [governance] has changed because the teams know you can change the rules at short notice so they’re far more likely to want to be comfortable with their ideas before they release them,”
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 25: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP shakes hands with Ross Brawn, Managing Director (Sporting) of the Formula One Group on the fan stage during final practice for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 25, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Hence, the teams need to be sure about releasing these innovations, as they can be shut down pretty quickly. He also went on to add “The governance is something that gives another layer of protection.” This helps the FIA deal with any teams finding ways to skirt around the rules.
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The FIA can quickly call a meeting, where the the teams and the FIA itself can quickly come to an agreement on whether a particular innovation should be allowed or not.
Brawn GP and their double diffuser
Ross Brawn and his team Brawn GP fired a silver bullet in 2009. The team came up with the idea of double diffusers, which changed the course of the season. Brawn GP went on to win the F1 constructors and drivers championships that year.
Subsequently, the device was banned that season. For the very next season, The Brawn team was bought by the ever-massively successful Mercedes AMG Petronas team.
Will we see another such piece of ingenuity this season as well? And if so, from whom?
