Last November at the young driver test in Abu Dhabi, Lotus (then Renault)
evaluated this reactive ride-height suspension system. It's designed to help the
car maintain a constant ride height under braking, which should boost stability and
hence aerodynamic performance. An obstacle could have been any need for direct
input from the driver - excluding DRS, any driver influence on a car's aerodynamics
breaches the regulations - but this is entirely mechanical and is activated by the brakes'
torque, not the driver. It's reactive, not active. As a result, Lotus's system has already
received initial approval from the FIA's Charlie Whiting, whilst other teams are understood
to be evaluating its merits, with Mercedes including a version on their MGP W03 project
and Ferrari hoping to test theirs at 2012's final pre-season test in Barcelona. The bulk
of the system is contained in the car's drum-like brake housing. Additional hydraulic
cylinders (1) are connected to the movement of the brake caliper, whilst the suspension's
push-rod link (2) is no longer rigidly fixed to the upright but can enjoy a few millimetres'
freedom of movement (see yellow highlighted area on inset) to offset the pressure that
would ordinarily force the front of the car to pitch, or dive, under braking. If the system
really works - something we should discover in pre-season testing - it could
become a must-have innovation for 2012.