The almost-forgotten row about the designs of the diffuser packages on the cars of three F1 teams looks set to rumble onwards into the season, with at least one other team on the grid disputing the legality of the devices.
The row seemed to have blown over earlier in the winter, when the FIA clarified that it believed the designs of the Williams and Toyota diffusers were "within the wording of the regulations". However, reports now state that at least one team on the grid has written to the FIA claiming that the design of both cars, along with the newly-launched Brawn BGP001, are illegal. The issue appears to be with the size of the rear diffusers of the three cars, with rival teams claiming that the design is larger than allowed by the rules. With the opening race of the season taking place later this week, the governing body has stated that it is too late for any resolution before the season begins, meaning that the start of the season may well be blighted with a slew of protests and hearings. Which is always fun.
"It's a very clever device and you can make a very good case for saying that it's legal and a very good case for saying that it's illegal. It's going to be difficult," was Max Mosley's take on matters, speaking to the Daily Telegraph, "What's actually happened is that teams are saying 'We think it's illegal for this and this reason'."
The most likely outcome of the triviality seems to be that the three cars will be challenged by the other teams during scrutineering in Melbourne, forcing the race stewards there to make a decision. And, in typical F1 style, whichever way that decision goes will almost certainly end up with an appeal, followed by another fun day at the Court of Appeal, where a definitive decision will be found.
This new spat, following on from the farcical cancellation of the FIA's new points system plan, is helping to ensure that the new-look F1 of 2009 is kicking off in a reassuringly haphazard manner.
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