Formula One constructors champions Red Bull should learn by Tuesday morning whether their appeal over Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo’s disqualification from his home Grand Prix has been successful.
The FIA International Court of Appeal heard the appeal in Paris on Monday and must decide whether or not to reinstate Ricciardo in second place in the Melbourne race.
The 24-year-old, in his first season with the team, was stripped of his place after the team were found guilty of breaching fuel flow regulations.
Several of Red Bull’s rivals had representatives at the appeal, which lasted six hours, shortly before they left for the fourth race of the season, Sunday’s China Grand Prix in Shanghai.
Mercedes-AMG lawyer Paul Harris told the appeal he believed Red Bull should face a stiffer punishment as their offence was worse than that of the now defunct BAR-Honda team, who in 2005 were found to have used two hidden fuel tanks inside their main fuel tank.
Widespread rule changes this year include a 100 kilo (about 135 litres, 36 gallons) cap on fuel as well as a fuel flow limit of 100 kilos per hour, designed to encourage steady use of fuel.
An aggravating factor is that Red Bull apparently ignored FIA’s advice to reduce the flow of fuel a little so as not to break the rule.
“We really tried, between the 8th and 16th lap, but that was costing us 0.4 second a lap and going at that rhythm we wouldn’t have been able to retain second place,” argued Red Bull’s technical director Adrian Newey at the appeal.
A reinstatement would be worth 18 points which would lift the driver into third spot in the championship, albeit 31 points behind leader Nico Rosberg and 20 back from the German’s Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton.
They would also propel the team into second place in the constructors championship where they would be 38 points behind runaway leaders Mercedes,
The last time the FIA Court of Appeal convened was in 2009 to hear Spanish driver Fernando Alonso argue against being suspended following the Europe Grand Prix.
The two-time world champion had his suspension lifted and instead was fined $50,000.