ARROWS TO RESIST DQ THREAT.

Arrows double retirement from the Australian Grand Prix probably stopped the team from joining Sauber of the list of disqualifications after FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting warned that its cockpit sides were illegal.

Arrows raced on in Melbourne, offering to discuss the matter away from the track, but maintains that its design is within the letter of the law, reveals Autosport.

The Leafield outfit is one of the teams to employ fins on top of the mandatory head protection in order to comply with the silhouette test used by the governing body to determine legality. The design, however, falls foul of another rule, which states that it must be of a set height and width. The bodywork on the new A21 is cut away behind the fin to provide a better air flow to the rear of the car, which team boss Tom Walkinshaw acknowledges gives an minor aerodynamic advantage.

Where rival teams have used bigger headrests and alternative designs to counter the problem, Arrows now faces having to make changes before Interlagos in ten days time. Walkinshaw denied that drivers Jos Verstappen and Pedro de la Rosa were at risk from the design, claiming that they were seated lower in the car than usual, and vowed to fight the matter with the FIA.