January 15th and 19th, 2009: Williams and Toyota launch their 2009 challengers
The two outfits are alone in having opted for a different design concept at the rear of the car compared to their rivals. The diffusers at the rear of the Williams FW31 and the Toyota TF109 appear to exceed the maximum height of 175 mm at their peak through clever aerodynamic shaping of the rear crash structure.
January 28th, 2009: Teams to seek diffuser clarification
It is understood that several teams are looking at seeking clarification from the FIA about the matter, with Renault the first to confirm it will do so. Renault executive director of engineering Pat Symonds told Autosport: "They (the diffusers) are certainly interesting, although I don't think I can comment on their legality. "That's something for the FIA to comment on. We will be asking the FIA about it, but we haven't yet."
January 29th 2009: FIA aware of rear diffuser issue
It is not clear when rival teams will contact the FIA about the Toyota and Williams designs, but a high level source at the governing body has confirmed that it is aware of the situation. The source also said that approval for one diffuser design had been granted - although would not state whether it was a design that currently featured on any of the cars. The source told autosport.com: "The FIA has had some correspondence with Toyota about diffusers but hasn't actually seen what they've been testing. "One design has been approved by the FIA but we cannot confirm that it is the design in question." Should the FIA confirm to rival teams that the design concepts of the Williams and Toyota cars are legal, then it may force a number of outfits to redesign the rear of their cars prior to the start of the season.
January 31st 2009: Autosport's technical analysis
Mosley says, however, that the FIA has seen nothing illegal about the "clever" design, although he admitted a protest could not be ruled out during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. "It will always happen when you have got new regulations," Mosley told selected reporters on Thursday. "The current FIA view is that Williams and Toyota have been clever and have exploited the wording of the rules in a clever way. But somebody may challenge it and the stewards may take a different view - it could happen.
Complaints start to build up
March 11th 2009: Briatore frustrated by diffuser rules
It's not right that some diffusers are made in a certain way while others in a different way, because I don't think it fair that everyone has his own rule book," he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "Looks like there are two sets of regulations: the one that allows some teams to have the diffuser built in a certain way that is forbidden to others because it's considered illegal. That's not what we expect. We want black or white rules but equal to everyone." He would not be drawn on whether Renault would lodge a protest. "We'll see, because at least three teams don't respect the regulations," said Briatore.
March 23th 2009: Red Bull considers controversial diffusers illegal
Mere days ahead of scrutineering for the Australian Grand Prix, Red Bull's motor racing advisor Helmut Marko declared that the solutions on the Toyota, Williams and Brawn cars are "illegal." "They have a double diffuser which gives them five tenths per lap (extra)," the Austrian told sportnet.at on Monday. "Seven teams - including Red Bull - are united: they are illegal," said Marko, raising the probability of a formal protest at the scene of the season opener this weekend. He claims both Renault and Red Bull discussed the legality of a similar aerodynamic concept with the FIA early last year and "at that time there was a negative answer."
March 23th 2009: Stefano Domenicali thinks it doesn't correspond to the nature of the rules
The Ferrari boss also said he is expecting the governing body to clarify the regulations regarding the rear diffusers, as F1 could be heading for another row at the Australian GP this weekend. FIA president Max Mosley admitted a protest could not be ruled out after Sunday's race due to the diffusers used by Williams, Toyota and Brawn GP. Domenicali is hoping the issue is resolved before there are protests launched. "We are convinced that certain interpretations that have been applied do not correspond to the nature of the rules," he added. "We expect the federation to clarify as soon as possible its position over the diffuser. If that extractor is illegal then it must not be used, while if it is legal it's up to the other teams, including us, to try to adapt as soon as possible, because performance is found in that area of the car. "There needs to be a great sense of responsibility on everyone's part. I hope this issue can be resolved beforehand."
...And a rival backs the diffuser design!
March 23th 2009: Symonds backs divisive diffuser designs
Pat Symonds has contradicted his Renault boss Flavio Briatore over the rear diffuser saga. While Briatore recently accused three teams of fielding illegal solutions at the rear of their 2009 cars, technical boss Symonds patted his rivals on the back for clever engineering. "Toyota and Williams have found a very good, very interesting solution with the diffuser which we hadn't done and I'm sure that everyone is looking at that at the moment," the Briton is quoted as saying recently by Australasian Motorsport News.
We have 1 week left for the season opener and one big problem that is waiting to be solved. What a season!