Innovative Rear Diffusers Cleared by FIA

In case anybody would want to challenge the clever rear diffuser designs used by Toyota and Williams F1 ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, the records have already been straightened by FIA president Max Mosley on Thursday. Talking to selected media in London, the Englishman explained that FIA's technical people agreed that the new systems are as legal as possible.

However, he did not rule out the possibility of the race stewards judging things differently. Reports from several media channels last week have shown that both teams have chosen a different approach when structuring their rear diffuser systems, as they appear to exceed the height limit imposed by the FIA, 175 mm.

“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,” said Mosley on Thursday.

“It is a curious idea in a way - where you are not allowed two surfaces, you have a surface and then something that is not a surface because it is unsprung. The view on our technical people is that it is okay, we will wait and see if someone challenges it,” he added.

Earlier this week, the Formula 1 official site also described the two systems as being “highly innovative” (Williams) and “very interesting” (Toyota), not at all illegal. Although it did point out that the systems are somehow controversial and could lead to challenges from other teams, the aforementioned report also showed them as “clever shaping of the rear crash structure”.

Given the fact that FIA has officially cleared the two systems, it is expected that other teams will also revise their rear diffusers before the season opener.