Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Domenicali wants rows resolved quicker

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has urged Formula 1 to resolve future rules controversies more effectively, after the diffuser row was finally ended by yesterday's verdict

The FIA court of appeal ruled in favour of Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams, rejecting Ferrari, BMW, Renault and Red Bull's belief that the double diffusers were outside the regulations.

The diffusers had first attracted attention when the three cars made their testing debuts during the winter, but could not be formally challenged until scrutineering in Melbourne. They were then protested by rival teams, who subsequently appealed against the rejection of that protest - casting the results of the first two races into doubt until yesterday's verdict.

Domenicali believes that the most important lesson of the controversy is to avoid similar prolonged uncertainty in the future.

"What I want to say now is that shouldn't happen," he told reporters at Shanghai. "These things should have been handled before the start of the season, in a very clear way.

"This is something that the entire Formula 1 has to learn. This is not good for the image of Formula 1 in any case."

He admitted that the disagreement had caused tensions within the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), but insisted this would be swiftly resolved.

"It can be considered as an element of a possible break in FOTA, because as you see now the tensions are quite high," Domenicali admitted.

"This is not good because FOTA is very important for the future of Formula 1.

"For sure these are points of discussion that I think we will have in the meeting I think after Bahrain, to make the situation clear. If we miss that opportunity, it will be bad."

But he dismissed any suggestion that the FIA had allowed the controversy to linger in the hope that the disagreements would escalate and weaken FOTA's unity.

"I don't want to say that," said Domenicali. "What I can say for sure is that this is something that puts all the teams in a difficult situation."

He also insisted that Ferrari had no personal disagreement with its former technical director Ross Brawn over the issue.

"It is not a fight between Ferrari and Ross," said Domenicali. "I saw this is some headlines, but it is not true, it is not the case.

"The reality is that all the teams apart from those three had a different opinion on that subject. That is it, there is nothing personal. It is sad to arrive at this point."

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Q & A with Stefano Domenicali
Next article Whitmarsh offered to resign

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe