Analysis: movable floor the new buzzword

Last year it was the flexing wings; this time around, it's the F2007 floor that is being looked at, with some rivals suggesting the Italians are benefiting from improved aerodynamics as the floor moves at high speed.

McLaren specifically have raised concerns about the legality of some cars - though not naming Ferrari specifically - but a post-race FIA inspection has cleared all teams. Still, team boss Ron Dennis believes some rule clarification could be issued soon by the FIA.

"We will see how things are in two or three races," Dennis told speedtv.com. "There is a whole range of things that come to light in the first race and you go and you say what is legal, and what is not legal.

"Most teams are given that current race to enjoy the benefit of the doubt. I think there will be a rationalisation of some aspects of some cars that would close the gap if no one did anything.

"You look at people's cars, you are not always of the opinion that rule interpretation has been strictly adhered to, and you get into, 'Hold on a second, what are we allowed to do and what are we not allowed to do?' and that always takes place at the first event.

"So it takes a race or two to know what is or isn't permitted."

Last Sunday, after the race, McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh was seen having a heated discussion with Ferrari team principal Jean Todt, and while many believe the conversation was about Ferrari's floor, neither men would divulge what they were talking about.

Nevertheless, Whitmarsh made it clear his team must focus on their own performance.

"I went to congratulate Jean on the race weekend, and we had a discussion about a number of things," he told autosport.com.

"The reality is that we should concentrate on our own programme. That is what we are going to do. We are not going to get involved in any of the skirmishes going on currently in F1. We are trying to win the championship for ourselves."

But what is this new controversy all about?

Both Ferrari and BMW Sauber use a sprung device to mount the front section of floor on their cars. In Ferrari's case, at least, this part was already in use at the end of last season, as pointed out in autosport.com's 2006 Brazilian GP Technical Review.

All F1 cars must have a shadow plate to meet the stepped floor regulations. With the high-nosed F1 car, this results in the so-called splitter at the front of the floor.

Before 2000, when the front wings were allowed to be lower, teams tried to run the front of the car as low as possible to make the wing work better.

When even lower ride heights were stopped by the floor rubbing on the ground, the teams introduced flexible floors that would bend up, allowing the car to run lower.

The FIA stepped in and introduced a deflection test on the floor. This test uses the scrutineering rig in the first pit garage, where a hydraulic ram pushes the floor up from under the car and detects how much deflection is measured for a given load.

As with wings, if the part passes this deflection test it is deemed legal, even if the part may flex under a greater load.

Since 2001, front wings have been progressively raised and flexible floors have not been required to allow low ride heights.

But with the increased amount of ballast located in the floor, the FIA has allowed the teams a degree of freedom in mounting the exposed floor, so that it won't be damaged over kerbs. Despite this degree of flexibility allowed, floors are still subject to the deflection test.

The recent allegations, following the Australian Grand Prix, suggest the Ferrari floor could lift at high speed leading the diffuser to stall. This could either increase straight-line speed through a loss in drag, or improve the car's balance by reducing rear downforce.

To do this, the spring could allow the floor to pass the FIA test and still move when at higher speed.

Other teams mount their floor with a thin metal strut or cable, however these solutions are just as prone to flex at speed, as the support could bend under the pressure of passing under the car.

The various teams' methods of mounting the floor have been known to the FIA scrutineers for some time. The Ferrari floor, for one, has passed scrutineering in every race it was used so far, at least since the Japanese Grand Prix last year.

However, as with the flexi-wings controversy last year, the team could still be required to make changes to their device, and the FIA may indeed issue a clarification outlining what is acceptable for mounting the floor - or even make changes to the deflection test.

Additional reporting by Jonathan Noble