Mercedes using FRIC style system to mimic active suspension

The FIA and rival teams want to stop a loophole in the current Formula 1 rules that may go some way to explain some of the superiority of Mercedes this season.

That is the claim of the authoritative Auto Motor und Sport magazine, reporting that the world champion team not only has the best engine in F1 but also the best chassis thanks to a clever tweak.

The report said the Mercedes W07 has an hydraulic roll and height control system - similar to the earlier FRIC (Front and Rear Inter-Connected suspension) concept that was banned - that cleverly uses the stepped nose in the top of the chassis to mimic active suspension.

For aesthetic reasons, this stepped nose was allowed to be covered by a so-called 'vanity panel' after 2012, but it also gave Mercedes a place to house the system outside of the carbon tube.

Correspondent Michael Schmidt said: "The other teams now recognise the trick and put it on the agenda for the technical meeting on the Tuesday after Monza."

He added that the FIA would like to ban it shortly, but that would require the agreement of all the teams - including Mercedes - to change the 2017 regulations.