Brawn Exculpated over Diffuser Imbroglio

2 races, 2 poles and 2 victories for a fledgling outfit. Brawn GP has injected some much needed aphrodisiac in a sport that was fast losing its steam. Its innovation, technical prowess and preparedness have given the most unforgiving skeptics something new to chew on.

A hastily concocted team of mavericks (read Branson), geniuses (read Brawn & Fry) and veterans (read Button & Barrichello) seem to have found the panacea to run a team successfully despite meager budgets. Though skeptics and rivals have attributed their success to their inheritance of the erstwhile Honda F1 Racing Team whose 2009 program was in its most advanced stages, their meteoric rise this season has left the F1 fraternity thoroughly entertained and searching for answers.

Now that the International Court of Appeal’s ruling has deemed Brawn’s stand on diffuser vindicated, the season is thrown wide open. This ruling is bound to have major implications on the outcome of the 2009 World Championship. Come Europe and we will witness the rest of the pack mustering their technical and financial prowess to get their diffusers.

At the centre of diffuser debate in Paris were 5 judges, and a contingent of 38 other personnel - either legal counsel, team or FIA representatives. The 2009 rule book and its interpretation around the legality of the diffuser currently used by Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams were debated.

This rather controversial device has helped Button win the opening two races of the season in Australia and Malaysia, Brawn GP car and Brawn GP heading the constructors' ahead of Toyota. Although the non-diffuser lobby headed by the feisty Ferrari argued that the 2009 rule book was misconstrued, the judges ruled in favor of the FIA and the stewards.

Now, FIA and double standards go hand in glove. The great mockery in approving the diffuser is in total contradiction to previous standpoints held by the FIA.

When they want to ban something that is quite legal, they will without battling an eyelid. And when they want to approve something, they would be more than willing to bend the rules.

In recent memory, the not so radical "brake steer" system used by McLaren in the 1997 season created the kind of furor we are observing now. It had been approved by the same Charlie Whiting and gang that had approved the diffuser. When rivals protested, it was banned because it misinterpreted the rules and was not in the spirit of the sport. The free for all 2009 regulations and the contrived outcome i.e. double / triple diffusers are supposed to allow easier overtaking and bring in some much needed excitement. However, much to our dismay the diffusers perform completely opposite to that.

The only culpable entity here is the FIA. Brawn didn’t go out with the intention to cheat. They created a design in the manner they decoded the rule book. This ruling has left Brawn GP free to race and dominate this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. And going by early signs, this weekend may also turn out to be a Brawn whitewash.