For whatever reason, the Court of Appeal has decided that the double diffusers are legal and so Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams will continue to have a slight advantage in the races until the other teams design their own trick diffusers. That may not be very long, as several teams have admitted that they have been working to introduce the diffusers on their own cars as soon as possible.
Timo Glock in the Toyota TF109
There was much talk of how expensive and difficult it would be for existing designs to be adapted to take the double diffuser but I think much of this has been propaganda prior to the court's verdict. With rumors of McLaren and Renault bringing new diffusers to Shanghai this weekend and other teams introducing tweaks to their existing designs, it seems that the problems are not quite as insurmountable as claimed. Even BMW, who said originally that a whole new gearbox casing would have to be designed before fitting a trick diffuser, is amongst those teams said to be nearly ready with a new design.
The one team that appears to have real difficulty in fitting a double diffuser is Red Bull and their car has been the best of the rest so far, getting amongst the diffuser cars in both races to date. One would expect the gaps between the teams to close up in the next few GPs, therefore, and a tremendous battle for supremacy develop midseason.
I suspect that the superiority of the Brawn is not only due to the double diffuser, however, and the team will maintain their lead for many races yet. They are continuing with development of the initial design and will not be easy to catch, even for a team as close to them as Toyota appear to be.
One gets the feeling that Brawn have held back a little in the early practices and races, aware that a display of absolute superiority would increase the likelihood of their diffuser being ruled illegal. Now that the court has rejected the appeals against it, we will see the BGP 001 unleashed into its true potential. If you put your money on Button for champion this year, now would be a good time to count your chickens.
Even so, I think we are about to see a tremendously exciting season unfold. The big teams will gain ground slowly and the final run to the spoils could still be very close. Toyota will throw everything at improving their car, determined as they are to win races this year, Adrian Newey's RB5 will get similar development and BMW, annoyed as hell at having to fight so hard for a championship they thought would be theirs, will be doing their utmost too.
Expect McLaren to make a big leap forward in performance in China - not to the front but much closer to it than they have been this year. Strangely, the team seems to thrive on political controversy and they will be itching to prove the latest drama insufficient to hold them back on the track. And, in spite of their gripes and protests, Ferrari will be in there too, running like mad from Luca's whip.
This is why the ICA's decision was the correct one; it has ensured a season full of interest as new teams battle with the old guard to maintain their surprise ascendancy. There are lessons too in the application of the rules - let us hope that it will be a long time before we see another protest based entirely upon the "spirit" of the rules rather than any real circumvention of them. And the next time Ross Brawn suggests a tightening of regulations might be in order, perhaps he will receive a more attentive hearing...