The Court of Appeal confirms Toro Rosso’s penalty

Spyker will therefore keep its point earned at the Japanese Grand Prix after the FIA Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal from the Toro Rosso team.

Liuzzi was given a 25-second penalty for overtaking Adrian Sutil under yellow flags during the Fuji race. This penalty allowed Sutil to reach eighth place, thus enabling his team to score their first point in the World Championship.

But Toro Rosso appealed this decision, claiming that Liuzzi did not overtake Sutil under yellow flags and that Anthony Davidson’s Super Aguri may have contributed to this confusion.

But following an appeal hearing in Paris yesterday, the court upheld the decision made in Japan and ruled that Liuzzi executed an overtaking maneuver under a yellow flag.

A statement issued by the FIA said: « The FIA International Court of Appeal convened in Paris on Friday, October 12, 2007, to review an appeal filed by Scuderia Toro Rosso against Decision No. 41 of the Panel of Stewards of the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix, dated September 30, 2007. »

« Following a report from the race director, the experts from the Reunion have decided to impose a penalty of 25 seconds added to the race time of driver No. 18, Vitantonio Liuzzi, for overtaking another competitor while a yellow flag prohibited it. »

« After hearing the explanations of both parties and after examining the various documents and other pieces of evidence, the Court upheld the decision made by the Meeting’s Expert Group. »

« The Court of Appeal was presided over by Mr. Vassilis Koussis (Greece), elected president, and comprised Mr. Philippe Roberti de Winghe (Belgium), Mr. Anthony Scrivener (Great Britain), and Mr. Jan Stovicek (Czech Republic). »