Fans of the Renault F1 Team rally after the sanction

The FIA announced yesterday during a press conference that Renault will be suspended for the next Grand Prix in Valencia (Spain) for the 2009 European GP.

Faced with a more than severe sanction, the fans of the ING Renault F1 Team have gathered and want to support their favorite team. A statement has thus been issued.

Here is the statement from the Support Group:

To briefly recall the facts, during the 10th round of the Formula 1 world championship, Spanish driver Fernando Alonso starts from pole position. After a flawless start, the Iberian driver gradually gains a few tenths of a second over his competitors. At the end of the 12th lap, the driver pits for refueling and returns to the track after a few seconds. The flange of his right front wheel is seen moving, and the Spaniard suspects a puncture during his exit lap from the pits and alerts his team. However, it turns out that the Spaniard’s wheel was not properly secured, and a nut is missing. The flange breaks apart, and the Spaniard is forced to let all his competitors pass. A few seconds later, the Spaniard’s wheel falls apart and goes into the barriers. Fernando returns to his pit on three wheels. He retires a lap later.

This is considered a racing incident by some and a mistake by others from the Renault team. Renault has been summoned by the FIA to explain themselves and after this meeting, the decision is extremely severe: the exclusion of Renault from the European Grand Prix on August 23 in Valencia!!! A decision of extreme severity. Recently, only the BAR team in 2005 had been excluded from two races for cheating. Certainly, this racing incident in Hungary is reminiscent of the tragic F2 incident with the death of the Englishman Henry Surtees, but is this the reason for such extreme severity?

Renault is criticized for not having complied with Article 3.2 of the regulation which states that: « Teams must ensure their cars meet safety criteria throughout testing and the race ».

If Renault didn’t comply with this regulation and deserved this sanction, then during this weekend they wouldn’t be the only team to deserve it… As a reminder, Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP lost a spring weighing about one kilogram, and this is the cause of the terrible crash of the Brazilian Felipe Massa, who is still in serious condition at the military hospital in Budapest. Why would Renault be excluded from the next race when no incident resulting from this error occurred, unlike Brawn GP, which had dramatic consequences by sending Massa to the hospital?

A few hours after the FIA statement on the sanction, some members of the ING Renault F1 Team community (the brand’s community blog) revolted against the surprising extent of this sanction against Renault. Fans of the French team are behind their team and are calling on all French, Francophone, and foreign sites to publish this article on their site to show the stance of the many fans of the Renault team.

We do not tolerate this sanction at all knowing that Brawn is also not sanctioned even though they did not respect article 3.2 of the regulations either. Furthermore, we all remember the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix where Ferrari also made a similar mistake during a pit stop when Brazilian Felipe Massa drove off with the fuel hose still attached, nearly colliding with a Force India and spilling fuel all over the pit lane with the torn hose that could have caught fire at any moment… Ferrari did not face any sanctions despite the potential for a very serious incident… (Additionally, we wish Felipe Massa a speedy recovery). Is the FIA showing favoritism?

What would a European GP in Valencia be without Spanish favorite Fernando Alonso? If Renault’s appeal is rejected, we call on Renault and Fernando Alonso fans not to attend this Grand Prix to show our dissatisfaction.