Williams have confirmed that they will be trialling the Red Bull-pioneered blown diffuser at Silverstone for the first two practice sessions of the race weekend on Friday. However, it remains to be seen as to whether Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hülkenberg will use the feature during Sunday’s race.
A blown diffuser involves the exits of the car’s exhaust pipes being lowered in order to make best use of hot gases by channelling them around the rear suspension in order to gain better downforce levels. However, apart from Red Bull – whose car was designed to incorporate such a novelty – others have suffered problems, such as the suspension parts being over-heated on the Mercedes GP cars last time out in Valencia.
“Although Silverstone has undergone some significant layout changes since last year, the traditional, high-speed first sector hasn’t been touched and remains the circuit’s biggest challenge for the drivers and chassis,” Williams Technical Director Sam Michael explained.
“The FW32 will have further upgrades for the British Grand Prix, including an exhaust blown diffuser, rear brake duct and front suspension changes. We'll evaluate the exhaust during the practice sessions on Friday and will make a final decision as to whether we race it that night.”
Series
Formula 1
Personalities
Sam Michael
Teams
Williams
Other
DTM Tickets (best price guarantee!) at Sportstadium.com
| Sam Michael | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
| More Sam Michael photos | |||
English
Nederlands
Español
Italiano
