F1 Rule changes frustrate RBR's Newey

[John S]

Old RB7 car was designed around the exhaust, so little carryover.                               
Let's hope Adrian is looking back to 09 [pre-blowing] for a baseline, then at least more than one driver may be in for a shot at the WDC.
I wonder if we'll be able to spot any noticeable visual difference in the stance of the new Red Bull car, with the back end being lower this year? 
Or is Red Bull playing the same game as McLaren with with a little misdirection?     

Adrian Newey said that the tightening of Formula 1's technical restrictions for 2012 have left him frustrated. Red Bull's chief technical officer, who was speaking at the launch of the team's new RB8, said that in particular he lamented the clampdown on exhaust rules for this season that have effectively outlawed the exhaust-blown diffuser concept that last year's Red Bull incorporated so well.

"Regulation restrictions like the lost exhaust are a bit frustrating in truth, because they are exactly that, they are restrictions, they're not giving new opportunities or revenues particularly, they're just closing a door," he said.

"Regulation changes I enjoy, regulation restrictions I rather lament.

"[This year] we have lost the exhaust technology with the restriction exhaust outlet position that we were able to develop and perhaps be ahead of the pack on in the last couple of years, that led to a big rethink over the winter.

"Whether that will affect us more than other people is difficult to know of course. We designed the RB7, last year's car, around that exhaust position and were probably the only people to do so. So it may be that we've lost more than other people through that. Only time will tell, but it will be good to get out to do some testing and to see where we get to."

Newey confirmed that the concept for the RB8 has been altered considerably compared to the title-winning RB7 of 2011, due to the fact that exhaust-blown diffusers are no longer being used.

He said that the resultant change in the positioning of the exhaust outlets - which must be placed in a specific location and at a mandatory angle has will cause the car to run a lower rear ride-height and therefore a lesser rake angle than the 2011 car.

"RB7 was designed around the exhaust," he added. "[But] this year, knowing that the exhaust position from last year would be taken away, we've had to go back and look at how we developed the car through the last one and two years with the side exit exhaust.

"We've had to, if you like, make sure that the routes we had taken that were only suitable for that exhaust position, had to be re-evaluated.

"Probably one of the key things there is the rear ride height. The [2011] exhaust allowed us to run a high rear ride height. It's much more difficult without that to sustain a high rear height so we have to go back down and have to redevelop the car around that lower ride height."

Autosport.com, Today.