This diffuser row has been diffused-ish

by Terry Saunders on 26/03/2009

So seven teams are going to gang up on three teams with funny diffusers.

As far as I can work out, diffusers are the things on the end of hairdryers that add volume, and seemingly remove a second a lap.

Bert and Ernie have made headlines by leaving it all hanging in the air as some teams complain, some appeal and McLaren hastily copy the possibly illegal diffusers to try and make up the gap. Expect the back of the McLarens cars to even copy Brawns colours in desperation.

But what is the row all about? Well, aside from four people hidden in a shed noboday has a bloody clue.

A diffuser diffuses something at the back of the car and has to be a certain width and height (which is less width and height than allowed last year). The three either naughty or clever teams have used the trailing edge of the bodywork covering the engine to come back far enough to ultimately make a second higher diffuser on top but diving right through a loophole that Bert and Ernie foolishly left open.

By the sounds of it these teams spotted a gap, filled it and now the other teams (aside from McLaren) are shouting no fair, mainly becuase they didn’t think of it first, or they thought of it, but dismissed it and now are rueing the day.