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Next week, the FIA International Court of Appeal (ICA) in Paris will decide whether or not the diffuser design on the Brawn, Williams and Toyota F1 cars are within the sport’s regulations.
This article won’t go into the technicalities of the diffuser row, as there are plenty of other very detailed articles on this subject getting around.
What this article will focus on are the ‘what ifs?’
Option 1 is that the ICA finds the diffusers legal. The outcome of this decision is fairly obvious – every other team will copy the Brawn design. It would be a safe bet that most teams have already put together a similar diffuser, ready to fit to their cars in time for the Chinese GP on the following Sunday.
Option 2 could see the ICA finding the diffusers are against the spirit of the rules, and deciding to clarify the rules from that point onwards. This may mean the results from Australia and Malaysia will stand, but Brawn, Williams and Toyota will have to change their diffuser design for all races from China onwards.
Option 3 is the most extreme, with the ICA deciding the diffuser design is illegal, and disqualifying the three offending teams from the Australian and Malaysian results. Some observers, including rival teams, are adamant this is the only proper outcome.
So what will this mean in terms of results? For Australia, it will mean a whole new podium. Alonso in the Renault will be installed as the winner, with a double podium for Toro Rosso.
Buemi will be elevated to second place on debut, bettering Hamilton’s third place debut in Melbourne 2007. Bourdais will move up to third, his best grand prix finish.
The remaining point scorers will be Sutil (Force India), Heidfeld (BMW Sauber), Fisichella (Force India), with Webber and Vettel (Red Bull) picking up the final points in seventh and eighth respectively.
Despite five cars ahead of them being removed from the results, Ferrari will still remain pointless, emphasising just how bad Melbourne was for the Scuderia.
Moving onto Malaysia, BWM Suaber driver, Nick Heidfeld, will be promoted first place, securing his first career grand prix victory. Second will be Webber (Red Bull), also securing his best grand prix finish, and rounding out the podium will be Lewis Hamilton (McLaren).
The remaining Sepang point scorers will be Masa, scoring Ferrari’s first points for the season, Bourdais (Toro Rosso), Alonso (Renault), Piquet (Renault) and Raikkonen (Ferrari).
This outcome will see Ferrari picking up some decent points, as opposed to the current situation where Ferrari has no points after the first two races.
The championship will change dramatically, with Heidfeld (BWM Sauber) leading, followed by Alonso (Renault) in second and Webber (Red Bull) in third. Next will be Hamilton (McLaren) with Toro Rosso’s Bourdais rounding out the top five.
The rest of the field will be made up of Buemi (Toro Rosso), Hamilton (McLaren), Sutil (Force India), Massa (Ferrari), Fisichella (Force India), Piquet (Renault), Vettel (Red Bull) and Raikkonen (Ferrari) will be the last of the point scorers.
To say such an outcome will have a huge impact on the championship would be quite an understatement.
With McLaren also being called before the FIA in the wake of the Hamilton – Trulli drama, it is possible, as has been reported in the UK press, that McLaren may also be excluded from the championship. This will further shake up the results.
So, April 14, mark it in your diary and get ready for the possible fallout. Of course, that won’t be the end of it, as Formula One loves a good appeal.
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