Australia: Diffuser legal, Brawn clear to race


By Phil Huff
March 27 2009

Brawn GP are clear to race in the Australian Grand Prix following the announcement that the stewards have declared the protested diffuser as legal. The three teams whose protests were heard, Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault, will now appeal the stewards decision.

BMW Sauber had also protested, but their case was thrown out as they had missed the deadline.

The appeal will be heard by the FIA’s International Court of Appeal, most likely between the Malaysian and Bahrain races. As such, the results of the first two races of the season could be changed retrospectively. However, appeals against stewards decisions rarely succeed.

Reacting to the decision, Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn said "When we came here we felt our diffuser was within the regulations, and the stewards have obviously agreed with our viewpoint. We respect the right of our competitors to challenge the opinion of the FIA technical department, and our opinion, but obviously the stewards have understood our reasoning and confirmed that our diffuser is fully compliant with the technical regulations. I would like to think the matter is closed, but that is not my decision. Hopefully it will not spoil what is going to be a great season."

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