hispania to appeal diffuser

HRT boss Colin Kolles believes he will be left with no other option but to lodge a formal protest against rival teams over the use of off-throttle blown diffusers next weekend in Monaco if the situation is not sorted out before the race.

Kolles abandoned plans to introduce his own version of a blown diffuser for the Spanish Grand Prix after the FIA initially announced plans to make the use of them when drivers were not on the throttle illegal.

However, the FIA changed its mind on the eve of the race after communication with the teams, and instead the matter will now be discussed at the next meeting of F1 think tank, the Technical Working Group.

That decision has not gone down well with Kolles, who reckons that the FIA's interpretation of off-throttle use of blown diffusers should remain in place.

Kolles had refused to rule out the possibility of a protest in Spain, but the gain for his team in doing so after Barcelona was minimal as the team had finished behind closest rivals Virgin Racing - so any exclusions would have helped them instead.

Speaking to the BBC about the ongoing situation, Kolles said: "The only reason why we are not considering [here] is because we were not really involved in any sporting decision today. But it is clear that the other cars are illegal.

"We agree absolutely with Charlie Whiting's view and, by the way, we are not the only ones who agree. I think that if this is not going to be stopped before Monaco then we have no other choice."

When asked to clarify what he meant by no other choice, Kolles said: "To make a protest."

He added: "The point is that it has been very clearly stated that it is not corresponding to the regulations. We have studied this, very carefully.

"You cannot influence the aerodynamics with hot exhaust gasses, you cannot influence the aerodynamics by any movement like gas pedals or moving devices on the engine, or whatever. So this is illegal and it brings the other teams a huge advantage."

source : autosport