Published: 18 August, 2009, 10:37
Edited: 18 August, 2009, 10:37
Spain’s two-times Formula 1 champ, Fernando Alonso, will take part in the upcoming European Grand Prix in his home country, after all, after his team, Renault, won their appeal, overturning a one-race suspension.
The sport's governing body, the FIA, had suspended the French team from Sunday's race in Valencia soon after the ill-fated Hungarian Grand Prix last month.
Back then, just a day after Felipe Massa's crash, Renault allowed Alonso to leave the pit lane with a loose wheel.
“Renault admitted to the Court that it breached the Sporting Regulations, in that it failed to ensure that car no. 7 complied with the conditions for safety throughout practice and the race, and that it released the car after a pit stop when it was unsafe to do so,” the FIA statement said.
But, after the hearing, the race ban has been replaced with a reprimand and a fine of $50,000.
Renault’s Engineering Director, Pat Symonds, called the court’s decision "fair and balanced". Renault currently sit 7th in the team’s championships. They have13 points after ten races, failing to win a single Grand Prix.