Haas loses appeal against exclusion
Haas has lost its appeal against Romain Grosjean’s disqualification from the Italian Grand Prix back in September.
The Us-owned team went to the FIA’S International Court of Appeal to argue it was not correct for the team to have lost Grosjean’s sixth-place finish for running an illegal floor, a decision that followed a protest from Renault.
A technical clarification from the FIA before the summer break had made the design of the floor of the Haas in breach of regulations that demand there must be a radius of 50mm at each front corner of the reference plane.
Haas argued that, due to the F1 summer shutdown there was not enough time to make modifications to its design before the Singapore Grand Prix, so had wanted special dispensation.
After a hearing in Paris on Thursday, the FIA has confirmed the appeal court upheld the original stewards’ verdict, and asked the “competent sporting authority to draw, as appropriate, the consequences of this ruling”.
Haas team boss Gunther Steiner 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 chassis technical director Nick Chester said: “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.”