The start of the Formula One season is set to be thrown into chaos by a rules row involving the new Brawn GP car to be driven by Britain's Jenson Button.

Red Bull team adviser Helmut Marko says a protest will be lodged against Brawn, Toyota and Williams if their cars are cleared by scrutineers in Melbourne tomorrow ahead of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

However, Red Bull's claim would not be heard by the FIA until after the Malaysian Grand Prix the following week, meaning that Button and the other affected drivers could be stripped of their points if the tribunal rules the three teams' cars are illegal.

The row centres over the legality of the reduced size of the diffuser - which disperses air from underneath the car.

Marko said: "We'll make a protest if the component isn't modified to conform with the regulations, because that diffuser guarantees a five-tenths of a second a lap advantage. Seven teams are certain it's illegal."

David Coulthard could make a comeback from retirement in Sunday's race. He has been named as Red Bull's reserve driver after New Zealander Brendon Hartley failed to secure a superlicence in time.