Briatore rants about the diffusers!

Flavio Briatore wanted to express his frustration this afternoon during his visit to Barcelona, Spain, to attend Renault’s private tests, as he is still the director. The Italian does not understand the 2009 regulations regarding the diffusers and considers Williams and other Toyota cars illegal.

The diffusers, or the last flat elements at the rear of a single-seater, underneath the rear wing, were revised by the FIA last year and are therefore subject to new standards. Thus, the diffuser must not be more than 175mm in height, including the structure that meets the crash test requirements.

Nevertheless, the regulations remain unclear on certain points, and as with all the new aerodynamic elements of the 2009 season, some areas of the regulations can be exploited in very different ways depending on the team. Williams, Toyota, and now Brawn GP thus have three entirely different diffusers, but according to Briatore, they do not comply with the regulations.

Max Mosley, the President of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), believes that the reasons are of a legal nature. Briatore tells him the regulations are too vague.

« It’s not fair that some distributors are developed in one way or another. It’s just that everyone interpreted the regulations as they wanted. » comments the Italian in the daily Italian Gazzetta dello Sport.

« In fact, it seems that there are those who follow the rules to the letter and those who try to flout them. Renault might file a complaint soon. There are at least three teams that do not comply with the regulations. On the other hand, it’s not all black or white. It’s still too vague.

Mosley, for his part, stated last month on the subject that he had seen intelligently designed diffusers. However, he does not question their legality, even though he admits that protests could arise in Melbourne.

« I was surprised to see the Williams and Toyota diffusers, but the regulations require them to have this or that surface, and whether they are more or less high doesn’t change anything. In this regard, it’s OK. » admitted Mosley.

In fact, Flavio Briatore believes he has already given too much. The Italian points to the KERS and engine freeze as evidence. Renault will have the KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) while some teams will not. It is also remembered that the French engine manufacturer strictly adhered to the engine freeze by completely stopping the development of the RS27 during the season last year, which other teams did not do. Since then, it has been allowed to increase the power of the V8 block for fairness.