Leave it up to the Ice Man to state the painfully obvious. But he makes a valid point. No matter what way the diffuser ruling goes, it will determine the technical direction of all the teams.

 

why don't they just copy the good diffuser?

 

Oh they will. But the ruling that will come this week or next week will determine whether that "good diffuser" is legal or illegal in the sport. If it is ruled illegal then the playing field will be leveled once again. But if it is ruled legal, then I am sure McLaren and Ferrari - and everyone else with the money to do so - already has a well honed copy ready to slap on the car.

Can you guys imagine Lewis Hamilton with a diffuser on the MP4?? He would be winning every race again.

 

I must admit, Hami already charges up the field with an uncompetitive car. Lewis+diffusor=Button who?

 

Even though we know that if the diffuser is legal they all need to make their own almost every car has their own suspensions-settings. Ferrari, for example, needs to build a whole new car since their current car have suspension components where BRAWN etc has their diffuser.

 

he looks like Jay Cutler in that pic.

 

All non-diffuser teams will have to go to great lengths to redesign their cars if the ruling goes the way of the diffuser, however, knowing Ferrari and McLaren, they could have something put together by the time the series gets back to Europe.

 

I really hope the diffusers are ruled to be legal. I'd hate to see Brawn GP's hard work and fairytale story end like that. On the other hand, I think there is a LOT to be gained by optimizing KERS, especially if other teams debut similar wings to the questionable ones being run by Brawn GP, et al. These diffusers and KERS really epitomize what F1 has always stood for imo, which is the absolute pinnacle of innovation, engineering, and technology. While the drama off-track may be a little off-putting to some, it's worth putting up with to watch these incredible races where ingenious ideas can make or break your season.

 

I think issues like this should of been sorted before the season starts. Starting the season with gray areas is just simply disappointing. Imagine if the ruling goes against the diffusor and everything becomes leveled again it only means that they will be less races to decide the champion and that's bad for the sport and neutral fans like me. Don't get me wrong, I know Ferrari and Mclaren fans will be celebrating if they get the ruling on their side.

 

I agree with you. But when you have a comprehensive change in regulations - like F1 made this year - there are always going to be ambitious engineers who seek out loopholes and exploit them. There is no way to see all of them from the start of the season. In fact, Ross Brawn admitted to studying the new regs looking for ways to take advantage of the gray areas.

I don't think the Ferrari and McLaren care how the diffuser ruling comes out. If they win the appeal then the field is level and they can get back to business. If they lose the appeal then they just slap their own version of the double-decker diffuser on their car and ride like the wind. Resolution is all they want - no matter how it comes down.