F1 News
Alfa Romeo to appeal penalties to Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi
Alfa Romeo will appeal the 30 second time penalties handed to both of their drivers for illegal at the German Grand Prix. The team were penalised because both cars were equipped with a clutch that had a 200-millisecond lag, which allowed for a smoother start.
Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi finished seventh and eighth respectively but were both handed 30-second penalties dropping them down out of the points to 12th and 13th, the bottom two finishers. This handed Williams their first point of the season as Robert Kubica benefitted moving up to tenth whilst Lewis Hamilton also secured a P9 finish.
In their post-race report, team principal, Frederic Vasseur believed the team have grounds for appeal.
“It is extremely disappointing to have both cars penalised and pushed out of the points in what had been such an exciting race," Vasseur said.
"The situation arose during the laps we spent behind the Safety Car ahead of the standing start: we suffered a dysfunction of the clutch that was beyond our control and we will further investigate the issue.
"We respect the FIA’s process and the stewards’ work but will appeal this decision as we believe we have the grounds and evidence to have it overturned. In this regard, we will be in touch with the FIA soon."