B.A.R leave Barcelona
The question whether BAR will compete in Spain this weekend, following their two-race exclusion by the FIA International Court of Appeal in Paris yesterday, has overshadowed everything else at the Circuit de Catalunya.
On Friday morning, the team’s chief executive Nick Fry continued to protest their innocence and charges of running Jenson Button’s car underweight in the San Marino Grand Prix and using fuel to ballast it, and their lawyers are seeking an injunction to lift the ban so that Button and Takuma Sato can race under appeal pending another hearing in a different court in Paris next week. Both men were also excluded from the Italian results, moving Mark Webber and Vitantonio Liuzzi into the points.
“BAR Honda are appalled at the decision of the FIA International Court of Appeal and assert that the judgement is contrary to all of the evidence heard yesterday,” Fry said in a statement on thursday. "The team proved that they complied with the current regulations and the FIA now acknowledge that the regulations are unclear. We repeat that at no time did we run underweight at the San Marino Grand Prix and this was also unchallenged by the FIA."
While the court rejected the FIA’s original accusations of fraud and deception, BAR Honda say that this penalty is wholly and grossly disproportionate.
Meanwhile, FIA president Max Mosley issued a strong warning to all of the teams when he said: “We are now considering whether to select one car at random of the points scorers at every race, and stripping it to the last nut and bolt. That will give a seven to one chance that if you are cheating and finish in the points, you will get caught.”
Bernie Ecclestone reacted to the news by confirming that although a field of only 18 cars now fell short of the required 20, there would be no need for the two races for other teams to consider running third cars to make up the numbers.
World Championship leader Fernando Alonso condoned the penalty, but admitted that he sympathised with Button: “We are all agreed that there are specific rules for all the teams, and if you are not inside them you risk a penalty.
The amount of that penalty is not up to us, but I totally agree with it. But it is difficult not to feel sorry for Jenson. He did a fantastic race in Imola, was on the podium and he deserved it the way he drove. You are risking a lot in the whole race and the quallie laps, and when it’s not your fault and you are out, it’s disappointing.”
Around noon on Friday it became clear B.A.R would not be allowed to race and started packing up their things. The garage would not open for the rest of the weekend and most of the team would leave the circuit on Saturday. The only item remaining present is a motorhome to fulfill the agreements with sponsors.
