Four teams supported Renault case

Renault received letters of support from four of its rival teams in its bid to overturn its European Grand Prix race ban at this week's FIA International Court of Appeal hearing, it has been revealed

On Wednesday, the FIA published the reasons behind the Court's decision to drop Renault's suspension from the Valencia event and replace it with a $50,000 (USD) fine for the unsafe release of Fernando Alonso after a pit-stop at the Hungarian GP.

In the reasons it was clearly explained that the ban was dropped because there was no proof that Renault deliberately let Alonso out of the pits without his front right wheel safely attached.

The findings stated: "The Court endorses the FIA's view that it is always necessary to have regard to the potential dangers which arise from a situation, as recent tragic incidents have proved.

"However, in assessing the penalty which is appropriate in an individual case, great care must be taken not to equate potential danger with conscious wrong-doing."

It was also revealed that Renault's case was helped by the fact that Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Ferrari and Toyota all wrote letters supporting Renault's case - with two teams admitting that their own pit-stop procedures have had to be changed to avoid a repeat of an Alonso-type situation.

The court stated: "The Court notes that it has taken account of the letters of support which the Appellant has received from Red Bull Racing, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, and Toyota F1 Team and which it has submitted to the Court.

"These letters confirm that two of the above-mentioned teams lay claim to having followed improved procedures precisely in order to avoid the very serious safety risks which unquestionable arose in the present case.

"While the Court accepts the FIA's submissions that the letters should not be regarded as wholly unsolicited testimonials of support, it considers that it would be wrong in the circumstances of this case to ignore the other teams' views, which they have formally recorded in writing with the knowledge and intention that they should be submitted to the Court."