German Grand Prix – Alfa Romeo say they will appeal against the time penalties imposed upon them after the race at Hockenheim.
The Alfa Romeo team have had their two points position finishes taken away hours after the race in Germany, following technical irregularities on Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi’s cars at the start of the race.
Having finished P7 & P8 on the road, their ensuing thirty second penalties mean they have fallen down the order to P12 and P13 respectively. The loss of points means they fall down to P9 in the Constructor’s Championship, tied with fellow Ferrari customer team Haas.
However, the matter isn’t considered closed as Alfa Romeo Team Principal Frederic Vasseur says the team intends to appeal as they feel the extended formation lap period under the Safety Car played a role in the problem that resulted in their penalties: “It is extremely disappointing to have both cars penalised and pushed out of the points in what had been such an exciting race. 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.”
