Several teams supported Renault during its appeal

It was revealed that the Renault team had received letters of support from five of its competitors before its appeal hearing to attempt to lift the sanction preventing it from participating in the European Grand Prix. On Wednesday, the FIA released details of the Court of Appeal decision that allowed Renault to participate in the Valencia race in exchange for a $50,000 fine (about 35,000 euros). This sanction was meant to punish the automaker for allowing Fernando Alonso to leave the pits with an unsecured car during the Hungarian GP.

The reasons for the race ban were abandoned because there was no evidence that Renault had deliberately allowed Alonso to leave the pits with an unsecured wheel. The FIA released: « The Court reminds the FIA that it is always necessary to take into account the dangers arising from a situation as demonstrated by recent incidents. »

« However, in assessing the appropriate sanction in an individual case, care must be taken not to confuse potential danger with awareness of misconduct. »

It was also revealed that Red Bull Racing and therefore Toro Rosso, McLaren, Ferrari, and Toyota all wrote letters of support to Renault, with two teams admitting that their pit stop procedures had to be modified to avoid an Alonso-type situation.

The tribunal declared: « The Court notes that it has taken into account the letters of support from Red Bull Racing, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Ferrari, and Toyota F1 Team. These letters confirm that two of the teams mentioned above claim to have improved procedures to prevent very serious accidents. Although the Court accepts the FIA’s arguments, the letters must be regarded as testimonials of support. It would be a mistake in the circumstances of this case to ignore the viewpoints of the other teams. »