Williams not stymied by diffuser clarification

Following a request from another team to FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting after the San Marino Grand Prix, the sport's governing body issued a rules clarification immediately after the Spanish GP a fortnight later.

There is no question that Williams' interpretation of the F1 regulations was anything other than legal, and at no point was a formal protest submitted. However the FIA has the right to issue a clarification if it deems that a team is misinterpreting the spirit of the rules, or is gaining an unacceptable performance advantage through its interpretation.

The rear diffuser on an F1 car is one of the key areas for the production of downforce. Williams' interpretation of the rules is believed to have been similar to that of a number of other teams, and centres around the area of transition between the car's mandatory stepped flat bottom and the diffuser itself, but the early-season successes of Williams made it a more obvious target for its rivals' interest.

"The interpretation of what we had was not the same interpretation as the FIA's," said Williams race engineer Sam Michael at Valencia testing last week. "But they have now clarified that. We have tested the new diffuser and are relieved to know that it doesn't make much difference."

All teams running a similar interpretation are expected to have changed for this weekend's Austrian GP, since failure to do so would cause problems at Thursday's scrutineering at the A1-Ring.