2014
FRIC — front-and-rear interconnected suspension
Mercedes, Lotus
Technical directiveVerified — primary source
- Legal when raced
- Yes
- Closed
- 2014
- Survived
- same season
- Article
- —
What was exploited
Hydraulically interconnecting front and rear suspension so the car held a near-constant aerodynamic platform through braking, acceleration and cornering.
The gap in the rulebook
Suspension is not bodywork, so the immobility clause did not obviously apply — but suspension is what controls the aero platform.
What it was worth
Aerodynamic consistency, worth most to the cars with the most downforce to protect.
How it was closed — Technical directive
Two stages. An unpublished technical directive made FRIC illegal from the German GP on 20 July 2014, and the 2015 Technical Regulations then formalised it.
Why it matters
A text-only harvest dates this a season late, because the mechanism that actually banned it mid-2014 was never published. The case is the reason this register carries a mechanism field at all.