22/08/2006
NEWS STORY
Today in Paris, an appeal court will listen to evidence from the FIA which is appealing a decision made by its own stewards at last month's German Grand Prix.
With the FIA having declared Renault's 'mass damper' device illegal, stewards at Hockenheim, just a few days later, found the device, fitted to the T-car to be legal. The FIA immediately appealed the decision.
The French team ran without the device in Germany, and a few days later was advised that it could use it in Hungary without fear of reprisals. However, the FIA subsequently decided that the device could not be used pending the appeal.
The FIA claims that the mass damper constitutes "a moveable aerodynamic device", and is therefore illegal, but Renault refutes this. To add to the controversy, Renault had been using the device since late 2005 without any problem, the FIA only taking action at the halfway stage of the 2006 season, when the French outfit appeared to be running away with the championship.
As many as seven other teams, including Ferrari, are known to have run similar devices. Though some claim the advantage given is minimal, if it wasn't a benefit Renault would not be running it. Furthermore, it is since the murmuring's first began that Renault has started to lose the championship initiative.
The French team's Executive Director of Engineering, Pat Symonds, has said that he is confident the stewards will win - a dreadful thought for the FIA - because the technical argument is "overwhelming".
It's thought the verdict will be announced on Wednesday.