One of the most controversial designs of the 2009 season was the double diffuser, which was pioneered by three teams on the grid.
Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams all brought what was initially seen as an illegal part to their cars which effectively left a hole cut out in a specific area of the floor.
It was an area of the regulations that was left open to interpretation and for the teams that exploited it. they gained a significant amount of performance out of the box.
Brawn GP’s early success in 2009 is a testament to how crucial the double diffuser was to their championship, while Toyota also came close after locking out the front row at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Red Bull had also produced a competitive car with RB5, but the lack of a double diffuser meant they could not catch Brawn in the early stages. Discussing the saga with Auto Motor Und Sport, Adrian Newey recalls how the double diffuser ended up being used as political leverage.
Adrian Newey believes the double diffuser was used as political leverage for Max Mosley
During the 2009 season, both the FIA and now defunct Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) were in a dispute over the regulations for the 2010 season and beyond.
Then FIA President Max Mosley proposed a budget cap, however, FOTA which was headed by McLaren and Ferrari did not want a budget cap and threatened to create a breakaway series.
Newey believes the double diffuser was used by Mosley as a way to show McLaren and Ferrari, whose cars were not competitive in 2009, that the FIA was in charge.
“In the end, it wasn’t a matter of whether it was legal or not. The real thing is that it became a political tool for Max Mosley. After we realised three teams, Brawn, Toyota and Williams had a double diffuser, I spoke to both Charlie Whiting and Max about it,” said Newey.
“Max assured me that he did not want the team turning up to Melbourne with a double diffuser, he viewed it as illegal. Then he realised he was in conflict with both McLaren and Ferrari, and he wanted to teach them a lesson. So he decided that the double diffuser would be legal after all to penalise McLaren and Ferrari, and we got caught up in the crosspath.”
Brawn GP and Jenson Button win title with double diffuser
Although the double diffuser was effectively a cheat code for the teams who first thought of the idea, for Brawn GP it wasn’t simply enough to win the title.
The team was cash-strapped having risen from the ashes of the now defunct Honda operation, with upgrades to the car coming few and far between.
Brawn GP could not even afford a third chassis until later on in the season, meaning they needed to also race with a lot of caution to prevent any withdrawals.
Jenson Button went on to win the 2009 championship with Brawn GP, having won six of the first seven races in the season and consistently finished in the points for the rest of the year.
