Jenson Button (R) could see his best chance of victory for many years eroded by a protest from Mark Webber's Red Bull team (LAT)

Again, there could be two outcomes in Paris – the diffusers could be found legal, in which case the problem is over for Williams, Toyota and Brawn. But it’s only just starting for the others, since they will now have to pursue a similar route. Renault definitely have their own version in development, and presumably others are already some way down that path. Certainly rivals believe that McLaren and Force India (who share the same gearbox and thus suspension arrangement) have the ability to make a relatively painless switch – if of course they understand how it works.

Those who are rather less happy are Red Bull, Toro Rosso and possibly Ferrari, who don’t have access to a quick fix. Certainly the first two have a low rear crash structure that does not lend itself to the controversial concept. ‘It means doing a new gearbox,’ RBR boss Christian Horner told me on Wednesday. And that is not a small job at this stage of the season...

So what if Williams, Toyota and Brawn – or some combination of them, bearing in mind that the concepts are not identical – lose in Paris? The chances are they will be given a realistic time frame in which to present modified cars, which is most likely to be by Barcelona, although they just might be forced to do it for China. Either way, the likelihood is that they will keep results gained in earlier races.

Again, it’s not an easy modification. Certainly Williams says it has no Plan B, although Toyota appears to be less confident and reportedly has something ready to bolt on. Michael insists that it would involve a huge change for the FW31, since the whole concept of the car is built around it. In either case, he expects the team to lose its ‘competitive advantage’ – either the Williams will in effect be handicapped and slowed down, or the others will have the chance to catch up.

But in the latter case it comes back to understanding the concept and making it work. Remember there is no track testing from now on, and as McLaren has shown in recent weeks, all the simulation, CFD and wind tunnel work in the world doesn’t always translate into making the actual car go faster when it heads out of the pit lane.

Watch this space...

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