Red Bulls Mark Webber was nearly a second quicker than anyone else in this mornings practice session for Sundays European Grand Prix in Valencia. Closest rivals Ferrari and McLaren had hoped that changes to the technical regulations would work in their favour and lessen the gap between themselves and the rampant Red Bulls.
The new regulation bans changes in engine maps between qualifying and the grand prix. It is believed that Red Bulls qualifying engine set-up would create more exhaust gases, which can then be used to create greater downforce by being blown over the rear-end diffuser. The net result being as much as half a second advantage over the other teams in qualifying.
We'll have a proper feature on some of the new technical developments and ECO features planned for Formula 1 next week.
