Button’s BAR under scrutiny at F1 court hearing
PARIS: Jenson Button's BAR Honda team faced a possible ban for cheating when they appeared before motor racing's International Court of Appeal yesterday.
The British team have been ordered to prove they did nothing illegal when the Briton claimed third place in last month's San Marino Grand Prix.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has appealed against a decision by the Imola track scrutineers who found Button's BAR conformed with the legal minimum weight limit.
If it can be proved they cheated in using fuel as illegal ballast, they could be thrown out of the world championship.
When the car was weighed immediately after the race it was found to be above the weight limit but it was below the limit when the fuel tank was drained.
FIA scrutineers at the track accepted BAR's explanation but the FIA, suspecting the car was loaded with petrol as ballast, has put the case before the FIA International Court of Appeal in Paris.
The FIA has come down on cheating in the past.
1995 defending champions Toyota were thrown out of the World Rally Championship for using an illegal turbo-charger.
There has been speculation that the FIA was tipped off about BAR's so-called “secret fuel tank” by former employees who are now working for a rival team.
But if BAR were banned that would leave only 18 cars on the starting grid for the remainder of the 2005 season and possibly mean top teams having to field a third car on a rota basis to make up the numbers.
“We are hanging on the basic belief that right will prevail at the end,” said Nick Fry, the BAR team principal. “At no time was the car light and I don't think that we've done anything wrong.”
The verdict will be published today. – AFP
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