Formula 1 News

Diffusers’ hearing crucial for F1′s 2009 Championship 

Appeal hearing over diffusers' legality started in Paris

The future of this season’s F1 championship is currently in the hands of the eighteen members of the FIA’s International Court of Appeal, who met earlier today in Paris to discuss the appeals lodged by Red Bull Racing, Renault, BMW Sauber and Scuderia Ferrari after the Australian and Malaysian Grand Prix stewards judged as legal the rear diffusers on the Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota single-seaters.

While the decisions of the International Court of Appeal, are expected on Wednesday in the afternoon, the more likely scenarios seem to be three:

• the International Court of Appeal will confirm the stewards’ decision in Australia and Malaysia (diffusers are legal);
• the Court will judge the diffusers as illegal (an option that will inevitably reshape the race classification of the first two Grand Prix);
• the Court will judge the diffusers as illegal but starting from the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix.

Update: FIA reject protests, diffusers are legal