The FIA International Court of Appeal has rejected the claims of Haas F1 team over Italian GP’s disqualification as the stewards decision stays for Romain Grosjean’s exclusion.
The Frenchman finished sixth in the race as it battled with Renault for fourth in the constructors’ championship but was excluded after a protest by the French manufacturer over an illegal floor.
The stewards agreed with Renault and found Haas to be wrong with their new floor of which the ‘reference plane’ of the car was not in ‘compliance’ with the Article 3.7.1 d) in the FIA’s Technical Regulations.
Additionally, it also did not comply with the clarification mentioned in the TD/033-18 report on the FIA website. The Article 3.7 in the regulations refers to floor and diffuser while the Article 3.7.1 relates to step and reference planes.
The team argued that it had exchanged several mails regarding the issue and were believed to have been given the time to get it corrected. The American outfit wanted some flexibility due to lack of supplies from the suppliers.
The FIA understood their issue but stated that if the floor is not corrected by Italian GP, they will be subjected to a protest by any team which did happen as the stewards then had to take the necessary step and disqualify Grosjean.
Haas decided to appeal the disqualification which was heard in Paris on November 1. The decision was then made public on November 2 that the disqualification will stand as it was decided after the race. A full explanation of the decision will be revealed later.
This means the provisional result is now made official with Racing Point Force India’s Esteban Ocon remains sixth followed by teammate Sergio Perez, Renault’s Carlos Sainz and Williams’ Lance Stroll & Sergey Sirotkin.
Haas’ Guenther Steiner said: “Obviously we are disappointed not to have won our appeal,” he said. “We simply move forward and look to the final two races of the year to continue to fight on track, earn more points, and conclude our strongest season to-date in Formula 1.”
Renault’s Nick Chester added: “Technical Regulations – especially those introduced for safety reasons – must be observed strictly. We are satisfied with the decision and I would like to thank the court and the FIA for their work on this matter. The team is now focused on the end of the season.”
