The FIA International Court of Appeal has ruled that the diffusers used by the cars of Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams are legal.
Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams free to continue using device
The FIA International Court of Appeal has ruled that the diffusers used by the cars of Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams are legal.
The long-awaited verdict confirms Jenson Button's Brawn car stays atop the World Championship standings following wins in the season's first two races in Australia and Malaysia.
During an eight-hour hearing on Tuesday, Ferrari, Renault, Red Bull and BMW Sauber challenged the three teams in front of five ICA judges.
The FIA had initially ruled that the design of the aerodynamic device fitted to the back of the cars was in line with the sport's new technical regulations.
Ruling
However, a statement from the FIA after Wednesday's verdict read: "The FIA International Court of Appeal has decided to deny the appeals submitted against decisions numbered 16 to 24 taken by the Panel of the Stewards on March 26 at the Australian Grand Prix and counting towards the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship.
"Based on the arguments heard and evidence before it, the court concluded that the stewards were correct to find that the cars in question comply with the applicable regulations.
"Full reasons for this decision will be provided in due course."
The decision leaves Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams free to race in this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, and ensures their seven rivals are left playing catch up.
Reaction
Toyota admitted after the appeal verdict that they had always had "every confidence" that the design of their car would be confirmed as legal.
"As we have maintained throughout, our team studied the wording of the new 2009 regulations in precise detail to ensure we interpreted them correctly," the team said in a statement.
"We also made full use of the consultation procedure with the FIA which was a helpful process to ensure our interpretation of the technical regulations was correct.
"Therefore we had every confidence that the design of our car would be confirmed as legal, firstly by race stewards in Australia and Malaysia and subsequently by the Court of Appeal."
Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn is keen to move on from the row with his team favourite to complete a hat-trick of wins on Sunday.
"We are pleased with the decision," Brawn said. "We respect the right of our competitors to query any design or concept used on our cars through the channels available to them.
"The FIA technical department, the stewards at the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix and now five judges at the International Court of Appeal have confirmed our belief that our cars have always strictly complied with the 2009 technical regulations.
"The decision of the International Court of Appeal brings this matter to a conclusion and we look forward to continuing on the track the challenge of what has been a very exciting start to the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship."
