Alfa Romeo to appeal, ‘grounds’ to overturn

Jamie Woodhouse
Alfa Romeo will have their German GP appeal heard on 24 September.

Alfa Romeo will have their German GP appeal heard on 24 September.

Alfa Romeo principal Frederic Vasseur has confirmed that the team will appeal the 30-second penalties which cost them points at the German GP.

Both Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi finished in the points after a chaotic race, but were both hit with 30-second time penalties after the stewards ruled that their clutch performance and torque delivery at the start was in breach of the regulations.

After Raikkonen and Giovinazzi finished P7 and 8 respectively, the demotions put Alfa out of the points completely, while Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica moved into the points.

However, Vasseur insists that they will lodge an appeal against the “disappointing” decision.

“It is extremely disappointing to have both cars penalised and pushed out of the points in what had been such an exciting race,” Vasseur said in an official statement.

“The situation arose during the laps we spent behind the Safety Car ahead of the standing start: we suffered a dysfunction of the clutch that was beyond our control and we will further investigate the issue.

“We respect the FIA’s process and the stewards’ work, but will appeal this decision as we believe we have the grounds and evidence to have it overturned. In this regard, we will be in touch with the FIA soon.

“Kimi and Antonio drove very well in challenging conditions and seventh and eighth place were the rightful reward for their performance. The team worked really hard to put both cars in the points and we showed once again that we have the pace to fight at the sharp end of the midfield.

“This race was a great showcase for Formula One and it’s a pity it ended this way.”

If the penalties stand then Raikkonen will be classified as P12 and Giovinazzi P13.

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