Pushing the limits — a phrase often used in F1 to describe drivers who go above and beyond, exploiting loopholes in the rulebook to get the job done. Sometimes, teams, too, resort to extreme measures in their pursuit of success. But it doesn’t always pay off. Sometimes, it comes back to bite them.
In 2009, three teams—including champions Brawn GP—used a double diffuser in their cars, a concept initially deemed illegal, to gain an advantage over their rivals.
Red Bull was arguably the team hit the hardest by the double diffuser controversy, losing out on the championship despite developing a very quick car. Legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey reflected on this during an interview on the ams.F1 podcast.
The Briton revealed that former FIA president Max Mosley wanted to use the double diffuser controversy as a political tool to teach the likes of Ferrari and McLaren a lesson, with Red Bull ultimately “caught in the crossfire.” Newey recalled that Mosley had initially assured him the double diffuser would be illegal.
2009 F1 Brawn with the genius double diffuser. One diffuser sped up air to further speed up air from the main diffuser. Ta daaa #DownforceIsYourFriend pic.twitter.com/ILVSrMVlWo
— Toby Moody (@TobyMoody) January 15, 2020
However, it all changed when Mosley realized he could use this to his advantage to teach Ferrari and McLaren a lesson. Recalling the same, Newey said,
“He (Mosley) was in conflict with both McLaren and Ferrari. So, he wanted to teach them a lesson. And so, he decided that now it (double diffuser) would be legal to kind of penalize McLaren and Ferrari, and unfortunately, we got caught up in the crossfire“.
Red Bull ultimately lost the championship by just 18.5 points to Brawn GP, who secured their maiden and only title to date. As for McLaren and Ferrari, who had threatened to create a breakaway F1 championship, this may have been an ingenious way to put them in their place.
Mosley was often at loggerheads with McLaren and Ferrari
Back in 2009, eight teams—led by McLaren and Ferrari—pushed to break away from the FIA and form their own championship. The teams involved were McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, BMW, Sauber, Toyota, Brawn GP, Red Bull Racing, and Toro Rosso.
Reports suggested that the breakaway threat stemmed from the teams’ refusal to comply with a proposed $65 million cost cap for 2010. Unhappy with this defiance, Mosley sought to assert his authority, particularly targeting Ferrari and McLaren, the two biggest teams at the time.
One of Mosley’s attempts to weaken McLaren came during the infamous Spygate scandal when a disgruntled Ferrari employee leaked nearly 800 pieces of confidential technical data to the Woking-based outfit. Another, as Newey explained, was the double diffuser controversy.
Mosley legalized the double diffuser over the winter, a period when many teams—including Ferrari and McLaren—were already deep into development and unable to adapt in time. As a result, they were left at a disadvantage against teams that had integrated the device from the outset.
