I've just read how close Jenson Button came to disqualification through the combined weight of him and car being below the 600KG minimum net of fuel. Although the FIA may yet intervene, for now, whatever the reason was (not given to the public) has been accepted.
Made me recall my first win in the 'Supers' class one kart championship I was racing in at the time. At Shenington, whilst on the dummy grid waiting for the current race to finish and mine to start, there was a downpour. Ours was declared a wet race, so switching to wet weather tyres was mandatory. To save time, make the chassis more flexible, narow the rear track, and change gear ratio (taller, to blunt torque delivery), we did this by dropping in a new axle (narrow and solid rather than large and hollow bored) on which the wet tyres and rear sprocket were already mounted.
Before the race, I also, unusally and I don't know why, took my watch off.
I won the race hands down, but in post race scrutineering, was found to be 50 grammes under the minimum allowed for kart and driver (including fuel in this case) and was disqualified.
My father then handed me my watch, simply to give it back to me, and the scales changed exactly to parity with the weight minimum! Of course this didn't count, and the disqualification stood. I was mighty unhappy, and had to accept that the scales had been certified, and 50g was within allowed sensitivity. (It was actually exactly the finest tolerance certified)
We thus learned the hard way that a wet weather kart was 1.2KG lighter than in dry race trim, and from them on carried a tobacco tin with lead melted inside to bolt on the back of the chassis (to help traction), whenever racing in the rain!
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Oh yes.
I lost the championship.
By less than losing this race win cost me!
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FIA Press release.
2005 SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX
FIA APPEAL
25.04.2005
The FIA is to appeal against the decision of the Stewards at the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix to take no further action in respect of car no. 3 (Jenson Button).
The International Court of Appeal is scheduled (subject to confirmation) to hear the case in Paris on May 4.
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FIA Press release.
2005 SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX
FIA APPEAL
25.04.2005
The FIA is to reject an appeal by Ferrari confirming that the Renault of Fernando Alonso was not infact wider than regulations allows even though it appeared to be at least 50cm wider than is permitted when viewed from a following car.
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FIA Press release.
2005 SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX
FIA APPEAL
25.04.2005
The FIA is to reject an appeal by Renault, McLaren, Williams and BAR confirming that the Ferrari of Micheal Schumacher is allowed to be as fast over the remaining rounds of the 2005 championship as it was at Imola.
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It's not a close call under after the appeal hearing really. They are normally very strict on regulation matters. It would be interesting to know how they escaped on race day.
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BBC: Tuesday, 26 April, 2005, 16:31 GMT 17:31 UK
BAR protest innocence over Button
Button could lose Imola podium
BAR have insisted that they did not deliberately run an underweight car during the San Marino Grand Prix.
The team was cleared by race stewards after Jenson Button's car was found to be too light, but F1's ruling body the FIA has appealed against the decision.
BAR team boss Nick Fry said: "This team is owned by two blue-chip international corporations with huge integrity.
"Does anyone really think that we would deliberately do anything against the rules? We've hidden nothing."
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"If anyone is trying to destabilise us, that will not work. We're bigger than that."
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Seems to be infering a conspiracy!
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