Adapted from GMM
Hispania Racing Team on Saturday joined Marussia Virgin in refusing to rule out lodging a mass protest after Sunday's Spanish grand prix.
FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting on Friday said most of the field is technically afoul the regulations at present due to their sophisticated blown exhaust systems.
It means Marussia Virgin, HRT and perhaps Williams, the teams not using sophisticated blown exhausts in Spain, could theoretically protest the outcome of the Spanish grand prix -- a risk Whiting acknowledges.
"I've made that clear to the (other) teams. It (a protest) could happen and then we'll just take it to the stewards in the normal way," he said.
That could result in most of the field being disqualified, an outcome that reminds of the farcical 2005 US grand prix, when only six cars had tyres suitable to race.
"I'd like to think that probably wouldn't happen but one never knows. It's not beyond the realms of possibility," said Charlie Whiting.
Marussia Virgin's Graeme Lowdon played down the prospect of a protest as "highly unlikely".
Hispania Racing Team boss Colin Kolles, however, sounded more likely to push the button.
"I think some teams are running illegally, simple as that," he told Reuters.
Asked if he will protest, he replied: "Maybe, I don't know. I will see."
Some may accuse Hispania of taking advantage of its inferior technical situation, but Colin Kolles insists the team was readying a blown diffuser for debut this weekend. Then came the FIA clarification.
"He (technical boss Geoff Willis) said 'No, we have to review this because there is this clarification from the FIA'. So we basically went then in a different direction and two days later you (the FIA) change it, and I am not happy with this," continued Colin Kolles.
Hispania Racing Team on Saturday joined Marussia Virgin in refusing to rule out lodging a mass protest after Sunday's Spanish grand prix.
FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting on Friday said most of the field is technically afoul the regulations at present due to their sophisticated blown exhaust systems.
It means Marussia Virgin, HRT and perhaps Williams, the teams not using sophisticated blown exhausts in Spain, could theoretically protest the outcome of the Spanish grand prix -- a risk Whiting acknowledges.
"I've made that clear to the (other) teams. It (a protest) could happen and then we'll just take it to the stewards in the normal way," he said.
That could result in most of the field being disqualified, an outcome that reminds of the farcical 2005 US grand prix, when only six cars had tyres suitable to race.
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| Photo: Ferrari |
"I'd like to think that probably wouldn't happen but one never knows. It's not beyond the realms of possibility," said Charlie Whiting.
Marussia Virgin's Graeme Lowdon played down the prospect of a protest as "highly unlikely".
Hispania Racing Team boss Colin Kolles, however, sounded more likely to push the button.
"I think some teams are running illegally, simple as that," he told Reuters.
Asked if he will protest, he replied: "Maybe, I don't know. I will see."
Some may accuse Hispania of taking advantage of its inferior technical situation, but Colin Kolles insists the team was readying a blown diffuser for debut this weekend. Then came the FIA clarification.
"He (technical boss Geoff Willis) said 'No, we have to review this because there is this clarification from the FIA'. So we basically went then in a different direction and two days later you (the FIA) change it, and I am not happy with this," continued Colin Kolles.