2006: Carbon rings (yet another saga)

After the fuss with the flexible front wings and while there was still much going on about the mass dampers, Ferrari was in the midst of developing new carbon rings. At first, the rings in the rear wheels were actually ducts, but already at their second appearance the ducts had become simple circular panels that were glued into the rim. At Turkey (see image on the left) the wheels were almost completely covered and in Italy different rings were used during the race. Pat Symonds especially reacted heavily to these changes, especially after a dubious penalty for Alonso after a complaint from Ferrari. The rings were supposedly an aid for brake cooling but, apart from the FIA and Ferrari, every team was convinced it was an illegal aerodynamic device. It somehow did not prevent Toyota and Toro Rosso to also develop and use a similar device during the course of the season.