Official: Renault Disqualified from the Japanese Grand Prix

The news came on Wednesday evening after a FIA hearing at its Geneva offices. The stewards met to address the matter dating back to the Japanese Grand Prix.

Indeed, after the Suzuka race, the Racing Point team filed a complaint with the stewards against the team with the rhomboid concerning an illegal driver aid. Racing Point claimed that the two R.S.19 cars had a system that automatically adjusted the brake balance distribution based on the car’s position on the track. This is a pre-set adjustment that no longer requires the driver to make changes on the steering wheel while on track.

After hearing Racing Point’s request, the commissioners gave Renault a few days to prepare a case for defense. They studied the files of both parties involved and ruled in favor of the Racing Point team.

After analysis by the stewards, the brake pre-setting system used by Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg was considered a driving aid and this is prohibited as stipulated by the FIA regulations: « Any modification of a car’s braking system on the track must be made by the driver himself and cannot be pre-set. »

The decision was therefore made to disqualify the two cars from the race because considerable assistance was provided to the drivers.

As a reminder, both Renault drivers finished in the points. Daniel Ricciardo crossed the checkered flag in seventh position but was classified sixth due to the penalty given to Charles Leclerc. His teammate Nico Hülkenberg finished ninth. After this disqualification, Leclerc regains his sixth place, and Daniil Kvyat enters the top 10.

Having the opportunity to contest this decision until today, 5 p.m. Paris time, Renault announces an appeal of the decision by expressing their viewpoint: « However, given the subjectivity of classifying a system as driver assistance and the variability of penalties associated with recent cases, Renault F1 is considering its next course of action within the time limits set by the FIA.»