Following RedBull's pace dominance at Malaysian Grand Prix, and McLaren's accusations that the RedBull might have included a kind of active suspension system, FIA has clarified the rules on adjusting ride heights between qualifying and the race, issuing to the F1 teams a strict warning - statement which is actually directed to the RedBull team.
"Any system device or procedure, the purpose and/or effect of which is to change the set-up of the suspension, while the car is under Parc Ferme conditions will be deemed to contravene article 34.5 of the sporting regulations."
Article 34.5 states that any car that has work carried out on it between the end of qualifying and the race must then sacrifice its grid position and start from the pits...any self-levelling damper system is likely to contravene article 3.15 [a set of rules relating to aerodynamics] of the technical regulations".
The use of an active suspension means that a car capable of running low on light fuel for qualifying but not bottoming-out on heavy fuel at the start of the race would give a team a distinct aerodynamic advantage, as it would always be able to run at the optimum ride height to maximise the floor and diffuser of the car. Such a system has been used by Williams in the early 1990s causing a devastated effect of pace dominance over its competitors but was outlawed in 1993. However, the FIA has now clarified that by no means are teams allowed to change the ride height while the car is in Parc Ferme conditions between the end of qualifying and the start of the race.
Red Bull denied McLaren's accusations that it was running an active suspension system in the first 3 races and welcomed a clarification of the rules, while McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh admitted his team is researching a way to develop its own system within the rules.
