With the 2009 Formula One season less than one month old, the world championship could be on the brink of chaos, depending on this week’s outcome of the FIA’s International Court of Appeal hearing over a controversial car part used by three teams in the recent Australian and Malaysian Grand Prix.
Prior to the start of the Australian GP, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Renault filed an appeal after stewards rejected their protests that the cars from Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams used an illegal diffuser. BMW Sauber and McLaren later followed suit. The appeal will be heard Tuesday in Paris, with a decision expected the next day.
Diffusers are devices that help accelerate the air flow beneath the car and therefore improve its downforce.
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The FIA rejected a protest by rival teams who argue the design does not conform to the new 2009 regulations.
But the International Court of Appeal will rule on the issue and could deduct points from Brawn, Toyota and Williams.
If the protestors win their appeal the FIA has two options.
It could allow the results of the first two races to stand, with the three teams concerned being forced to alter their cars from Sunday’s Chinese GP onwards, or they could remove any points won by those teams in Australia and Malaysia.
British driver Button - who insists his car is “100% legal” - has won both and his team lead the constructors’ championship with 25 points, ahead of Toyota on 16.5 points.
The other eight teams have only 17 points between them and Ferrari, the reigning constructors’ champions, are yet to get off the mark.
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Brawn GP team boss Ross Brawn is optimistic the Court of Appeal will agree with the race stewards and sanction the split-level diffuser design.
“I would just be surprised if the appeal court can make judgements on technicalities - it’s quite a complex technical matter,” he said.
“You can’t be 100% confident but I hope common sense prevails on their side.”
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