New floor tests to affect all teams

As autosport.com first revealed, the FIA has increased the forces applied to the floors in tests from 500 Newtons to 2000 Newtons amid suspicions that some teams are exploiting the regulations to improve the speed and handling of their cars when on on the track.

A number of outfits had fitted springs to the floor that were calibrated to resist the forces of the test but then allow the floor to flex up when the car was at speed on the track.

And the quadrupling of the forces applied in the tests has resulted in every team needing to make modifications to stiffen their floors - whereas a previous change in the regulations after the Australian Grand Prix only affected some teams.

Honda's engineering director Jacky Eeckelaert told autosport.com: "Everyone has had to stiffen or strengthen their floor by having more carbon layers. It means there is more weight but because it is at the bottom of the car it is not too bad.

"The new tests have a fair amount of force, so everyone has had to modify it one way or another. And yes, we have had to modify it too."

Eeckelaert's verdict has been backed up by other senior figures - who claim that because the changes affect everybody then it is unlikely to change in F1's pecking order.

Williams technical director Sam Michael told this week's Autosport: "Teams will certainly have to lift the car by some amount and that will affect the optimum set-up.

"But I don't foresee it making any significant changes to the running order because every team will have to make some form of change to their cars. It won't be like in Malaysia, where some teams had to make changes while others did not."

Spyker chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne added: "The spring stay was a pretty standard arrangement. Everyone was doing it, but some teams were doing it to a ridiculous degree.

"But I still don't see it making a big impact on performance. The front ride height will need raising and most people will just replace the spring with a solid stay."