The FIA has ruled that both Williams and Caterham’s unqiue exhaust designs, which feature airflow conditioners, are illegal.
The designs have both come under scrutiny from rival teams with Lotus technical director James Allison admitting at the last test in Jerez, that he didn’t believe the Caterham would pass scrutiny at the first race should they run the small modification.
Williams, which debuted its FW35 car on Tuesday in Barcelona, are also running a similar device aimed at improving the exhaust gas flow to the rear of the car.
The governing body has however informed both teams that it believes the additional bodywork contravenes the regulations.
A Williams spokesperson confirmed the news: “The team spoke with the FIA this morning which is when they gave us their view.
“The team are now seeking further clarification on this and a decision as to whether this design will be carried forward will be made before the first race.”
The decision isn’t an official one, rather advisory, but it’s likely both teams will have to modify their cars before the first race.
