Bernie Ecclestone advises McLaren to drop fuel appeal
Bernie Ecclestone has advised his Ron Dennis to drop an appeal that could take away Kimi Raikkonen’s 2007 title. F1′s Chief Executive is quoted as threatening to retire if on Thursday the FIA’s Court of Appeal in London hands the championship to McLaren rookie Lewis Hamilton. McLaren-Mercedes appealed Brazilian Grand Prix stewards’ decision last month to not penalise four rival cars despite their fuel being found arguably colder than the regulations allow.
But Britain’s The Times newspaper says it is possible that McLaren, ‘at the eleventh hour,’ will drop the appeal. “I don’t think Ron has really got the intention of continuing with it,” Ecclestone agreed. The Englishman, compared the ‘cool fuel’ infringement to McLaren’s own error at Interlagos, where mechanics illegally fitted an extra set of rain tires to Hamilton’s car in Friday practice.
The stewards’ punishment was a token fine and the tires’ confiscation. Ecclestone observed: “So maybe if anything does happen at this Court of Appeal, maybe they’ll treat it exactly the same as the tires.”
source: GMM
2014 F1 Australian Grand Prix
2014 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix Results