From GMM
Pioneered by McLaren, the innovation, where air is allowed to pass through the car and onto the rear wing by the movement of the drivers' knee, was declared legal on McLaren's MP4-25 in Bahrain two weeks ago.
Basically, the system works by 'stalling' the efficiency of the downforce-producing rear wing, thereby producing more straight-line speed when the car is not cornering. McLaren had spent some time pioneering the system.
According to rumours from the Melbourne pitlane on Wednesday, Sauber is ready to test an initial version of the controversial McLaren-style knee-activated air inlet system.
Observers were surprised that Sauber had managed to so quickly design and implement a copy, but the Swiss team's driver Pedro de la Rosa on Thursday admitted that he knew about McLaren's incoming system when he left the British team as test driver.
"I knew basically what they (McLaren) were thinking about," said the Spaniard, "but this is our system. It is a different, Sauber system."
It is believed the Swiss team has not decided whether to actually run the system in Melbourne this weekend. Asked by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, technical boss Willy Rampf said: "Ask me (about it) on Friday."
It is likely Mercedes will be among the next F1 teams to also introduce the inlet system.
"We had an idea that they (McLaren) were doing it -- we didn't understand how they were doing it," said team boss Ross Brawn. "But now we do."
Ferrari revealed it is not yet ready to race a similar innovation on its F10 car.
Designer Nikolas Tombazis told Turun Sanomat that he thinks the knee-operated system contravenes the spirit of the rules, but nonetheless praised it as an "ingenious solution".
"We are building a similar one, but we do not know if or when we will finish it," he is quoted as saying by the Finnish publication.
Pioneered by McLaren, the innovation, where air is allowed to pass through the car and onto the rear wing by the movement of the drivers' knee, was declared legal on McLaren's MP4-25 in Bahrain two weeks ago.
Basically, the system works by 'stalling' the efficiency of the downforce-producing rear wing, thereby producing more straight-line speed when the car is not cornering. McLaren had spent some time pioneering the system.
According to rumours from the Melbourne pitlane on Wednesday, Sauber is ready to test an initial version of the controversial McLaren-style knee-activated air inlet system.
Observers were surprised that Sauber had managed to so quickly design and implement a copy, but the Swiss team's driver Pedro de la Rosa on Thursday admitted that he knew about McLaren's incoming system when he left the British team as test driver.
"I knew basically what they (McLaren) were thinking about," said the Spaniard, "but this is our system. It is a different, Sauber system."
It is believed the Swiss team has not decided whether to actually run the system in Melbourne this weekend. Asked by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, technical boss Willy Rampf said: "Ask me (about it) on Friday."
It is likely Mercedes will be among the next F1 teams to also introduce the inlet system.
"We had an idea that they (McLaren) were doing it -- we didn't understand how they were doing it," said team boss Ross Brawn. "But now we do."
Ferrari revealed it is not yet ready to race a similar innovation on its F10 car.
Designer Nikolas Tombazis told Turun Sanomat that he thinks the knee-operated system contravenes the spirit of the rules, but nonetheless praised it as an "ingenious solution".
"We are building a similar one, but we do not know if or when we will finish it," he is quoted as saying by the Finnish publication.