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This is one of the things I dislike about F1. Innovating withing regulations should be a big part of F1 but every time anyone innovates anything, everyone else goes "THAT'S CHEATING!". Either let innovations happen or turn F1 into a spec series. This constant crying foul is just boring.
Some innovations just aren't good ideas (like using rocket fuel). Some are outlawed because they'll cause a money war at the time (like active suspensions). Still others are outlawed due to the FIAs notion that it ruins the sport (like movable aerodynamic devices).
Clearly, Hamilton seems to think that this falls outside those categories.
Of this was used its enabling a setup change from qualy to race, which can be enormously beneficial if its ride height like this due to fuel load differences. Setup changes like this are banned to make teams compromise between qualy and race trim or accept performance losses for one or the other. It's meant as a small balancing measure for team performance and a reduction in costs .
In the old days, we had qualifying engines (not modes, entire single session engines), so it used to be full on extreme changes, I'm glad we don't anymore.
I have seen so many changes that I just accept them, but the days of qualifying engines were dramatic. Of course, there was a different way of qualifying at the time too. The whole idea of building an engine that would only last a short period of time was kinda cool. But, also very expensive.
In this case, your first Para is correct. Parc ferme is broken. But the problem is that with new materials being developed all the time, I can't help but thinking that the FIA is chasing their tails.
But this sort of adjustment is very strictly against the rules, it was just another clever trick to work around the rules that were clarified as being illegal. We've had all sorts that are clearly against the intent of a rule while not always againstthe letterof the rule, and this is a big part of the fun with the engineering part of the sport. Taking that away and you lose a big part of the sport.
Only reason RB aren't completely in the shit is it's impossible to prove if they did actually use it. From the description, it seems possible to change it on the grid if you take the nose off and another cover. I would be surprised if they never used it tbh.
You should think of it this way. Why engineer something that can that can be adjusted from inside the cockpit, if you don't intend to adjust it there.