Red Bull appeal is first test of Formula 1’s new era
london — The first big technical controversy of Formula One’s new engine era has its day in court on Monday with champions Red Bull confident they have a strong case in appealing Daniel Ricciardo’s Australian Grand Prix exclusion.
Ricciardo finished second in his home race last month, his debut for Red Bull, but was disqualified hours later when stewards ruled his car had breached the new fuel flow regulations.
In what is seen as a critical test of the regulations accompanying the V6 turbo engines and energy recovery systems, Red Bull will say the fuel flow sensors cannot be trusted.
“We have got a very strong case,” principal Christian Horner, whose team needs every point they can get after a troubled start to the season, said after last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
“As more races have progressed, issues have become more evident - new evidence has come to light, or understanding has come to light - so hopefully we can present our case fairly and get the second place back that Daniel deserves.”
Exactly what that evidence might be remains unclear, although Red Bull have experienced further problems with the fuel flow sensors since Melbourne and other teams - such as sister team Toro Rosso - have also found them unreliable.
The appeal hearing at the Paris headquarters of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) is due to announce the verdict as soon as possible and certainly before Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix.
McLaren will be among those following events closely, having benefited from Ricciardo’s exclusion with Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen promoted to second and Jenson Button to third.
Red Bull are sure to argue that a technical directive relating to the issue, and sent out by the governing body before the start of the season to all teams, had no regulatory