THE F1 Austrian Grand Prix standings have changed after Aston Martin’s protest regarding cars exceeding track limits was upheld.
There was no doubt about the winner, with Max Verstappen claiming another comfortable victory ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez.
But the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have been promoted after initially coming sixth and 10th respectively.
These positions were changed after the stewards confirmed the British team’s protest had been successful.
The stewards said: “The protest was lodged against the accuracy of the Provisional Classification.
“The Stewards first considered if the protest was admissible.
“The Stewards determined that as it was lodged on time and complied with the requirements of Chapter 13 of the FIA International Sporting Code, it was an admissible protest.
“An examination of the list of deleted lap times provided to the Stewards by Race Control, revealed that a number of track limit infringements had not previously been referred to the Stewards for potential penalty.
“It was determined that some of these infringements warranted a penalty that was not previously applied when the Provisional Classification was published.
“These penalties will be reflected in the Final Classification.
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“Accordingly, the Protest is upheld and the Protest Fee is returned to the Competitor.”
Lewis Hamilton, who had finished seventh, received a five-second penalty from the stewards for exceeding track limits and was pushed down to eighth after the race.
And he was critical of the rule during his post-race interview.
He said: “They need to find a new solution for this track.
“Years ago when we didn’t have track limits, the track was much more enjoyable to drive.
“It’s strange to be driving and have to comment on the car ahead because that’s what the team have asked you to do. That’s not racing.”
Alonso moved up to fifth while Stroll was promoted to ninth.
Meanwhile, Perez was eliminated in Q2 of qualifying earlier in the weekend after he saw THREE flying laps deleted – all for exceeding track limits.
And when Hamilton was racing behind the Mexican during Sunday’s race, he was insistent the Red Bull driver was also violating track regulations.
On the team radio, he could be heard saying: “This guy’s been off every single time. Turn 10. Again.”
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Hamilton had warned Mercedes earlier on about the struggles he was having to stay within the lines.
He said: “I can’t keep it on the track, the car won’t turn.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
