Frédéric Vasseur says Alfa Romeo Racing have evidence that the penalties handed out to Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi after the German Grand Prix were unjustified, and they will be making an appeal to the FIA to have them overturned.
Both drivers were handed retrospective stop and go penalties, converted into thirty-second time penalties for clutch infractions, with the FIA deeming the cars to have had illegal clutch settings for the wet standing start at the Hockenheimring.
Räikkönen had finished seventh and Giovinazzi eighth on Sunday but the penalties relegated them to twelfth and thirteenth respectively, with Team Principal Vasseur insisting an appeal will be made to attempt to have the penalties overturned.
“It is extremely disappointing to have both cars penalised and pushed out of the points in what had been such an exciting race,” said Vasseur. “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.”
Vasseur had been pleased by the performance of both drivers during the very difficult conditions at the Hockenheimring, with Räikkönen running as high as third in the early stages. Both drivers did have very minor off-track moments but were able to keep going and fight for positions well inside the top ten, only for the penalties to nullify their efforts.
“Kimi and Antonio drove very well in challenging conditions and seventh and eighth place were the rightful reward for their performance,” said Vasseur. “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 1 and it’s a pity it ended this way.”