Formula One news

'FOTA strong despite diffuser dispute'

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) is still running in a strong and unanimous manner, despite the current diffuser argument, according to Ross Brawn. Brawn's team is one of three to be subject to an ongoing protest over the 'double diffuser', an outcome for which will be revealed in Paris next Tuesday.

"What I am pleased about is that FOTA is still operating well within its mandates, objectives and so on," said Brawn, who is head of the organisation's technical working group. "This has not, as far as I can tell, damaged FOTA," he confirmed. "We have to learn to work in that way, because when we get on the track there will be instances in which we will get very upset with each other - we have to put that to one side and say within FOTA that we are trying to do something which is good for the sport."

Brawn GP, along with Toyota and Williams, is making use of a radical diffuser design which allows more air to pass underneath the car, giving more grip in the process. "I draw this analogy with rugby, which is that you go out on the field and try and kill each other, then you come back and you have a beer," Brawn laughed. "You have got to be able to separate those two things, and FOTA has got to be able to do that; we have got to be able to go out on the race track, and objecting to someone's technical specifications of the car is all part of it. It is part of the event, and we have got to able to put that to one side and say, 'okay we are having our situation there, but let's work on trying to help Formula 1 improve and become better'.

"If we do that, and we do seem to be able to do that, then that means FOTA can work. If the first time we fall out on the track it blows FOTA apart, then that's no good, but I don't think that will happen."

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