17 Apr 2009

FIA decision favours Brawn, Toyota teams

7:05 am on 17 April 2009

There's no change to the Formula One drivers' championship after the decision last night of motorsport's world governing body in favour of the legality of the Brawn GP car's diffuser.

In the first two rounds of the season, Jenson Button and his new team have left the rest of Formula One trailing in the air smoothly channelled through the controversial diffusers at the back of their car.

Similar technology has been used by the Toyota and Williams teams, whose rivals now face a scramble to copy the design but it will almost certainly be too little, too late to match the Brawns in this weekend's China grand prix.

Meanwhile McLaren will race in Shanghai under the cloud of the impending FIA hearing into their misleading of a stewards inquiry into the season opener in Australia.