Illegal exhausts on the Brawn GP car?

The BGP001 raced in Melbourne had a noticeable length of exhaust poking out of the holes in the engine cover. Some media outlets are suggesting that this it may well go against the regulations, which state that "Any vertical cross section of bodywork normal to the car centre line situated in the volumes defined below must form one tangent continuous curve on its external surface. This tangent continuous curve may not contain any radius less than 75mm". The dimensions then detailed cover the area the exhaust exit would fall in, but then go on to allow an aperture for the pipes to exit through.

The question was then whether the exhausts are to be considered part of the bodywork. According to the regulations, "airboxes, radiators and engine exhausts are to be considered part of the bodywork.

The rules, therefore, don't specifically disallow a protruding exhaust, but also don't specifically allow it. There have been no protests, and no other team chiefs are raising concerns. However, we understand that informal discussions took place between the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix, and the bodywork around the exhaust exit was extended slightly to cover the pipe.

The team are now concentrating on their defence of their disputed diffuser, with an FIA hearing taking place on 14 April in Paris.