F1 race teams at odds over car designs

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The Red Bull race team says it will lodge a protest at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix if the cars from rival teams Toyota, Brawn and Williams pass inspections Thursday amid concerns over the legality of their bodywork.

The three teams are at the center of a dispute over their rear diffusers, the part of the bodywork that comes up from the undertray to disperse air from under the car.

New regulations limit the size of the diffusers. The three teams have found a potential loophole in the law by designing their rear bodywork to effectively act as part of the diffuser, increasing its size.

Red Bull team adviser Helmut Marko said a protest will be lodged if those teams pass inspections Thursday and are allowed to compete without changes.

"We'll make a protest on Thursday if the component isn't modified to conform to the regulations, because that diffuser guarantees a five-tenths (of a second) advantage per lap," Marko told Sky Sports on Tuesday. "Seven teams are certain it's illegal."

There are 10 teams, each with two cars, competing in Formula One this year.

Renault team principal Flavio Briatore had previously remarked that he would consider a protest if the Williams, Toyota and Brawn bodywork get the thumbs up.

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali believes the bodywork breaks the rules, but wants a pre-race resolution, hoping to prevent the dispute blemishing the opening race of the season on Sunday.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said the teams should have solved the problem before the start of the season.

"These regulations they've already agreed between them, so they can't disagree on them now," Ecclestone told the Associated Press by telephone.

The telecast of the race on the Speed channel starts at 1:30 a.m. Sunday.