F1 Teams Row Over Rear Diffuser

Row escalates over 'illegal' aero packages

By Chris Rosamond / Monday, 23 March 2009 / Loading comments

The new F1 season could kick off in controversial style later this week as a simmering row over the legality of rear diffuser designs makes a stewards’ inquiry into the first results appear inevitable.

The F1 circus arrives in Melbourne already mired in controversy following the FIA’s embarrassing climb-down over the introduction of a new scoring system.

A rule change announced last week would have seen the F1 World Championship awarded to the driver with the most wins and not the highest points tally. It was withdrawn three days later as necessary support within the teams for the changes failed to materialise.

In spite of this rejection by teams, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has pledged to implement the new system in 2010, saying it will be written into the rulebook before any entries are accepted.

Meanwhile, the on-going row over rear diffuser design looks set to come to a head at the Melbourne circuit with Brawn, Toyota and Williams cars all running similar designs that other teams believe fall foul of the current regulations.

Although the diffuser row has been simmering since January, matters appear to be only just coming to a head. Autosport reports the FIA has received at least one written complaint from a rival team, but that it arrived too late for an official adjudication by the FIA appeal court before the Melbourne Grand Prix.

According to FIA president Max Mosley, the most likely outcome is that rival teams will lodge protests after Melbourne scrutineering or following the race, so official results on race day are likely to be ‘pending’ the FIA appeal when it eventually takes place.