Sebastien Ogier will have to wait up to two weeks to discover whether the time penalty he picked up at Rally Mexico still stands, following an FIA hearing in Paris today (Friday 4 May).
The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team driver, who won the third round of the season by 1m 03.3sec from Dani Sordo, thought he’d added four bonus points to his weekend haul when he set the second fastest time through the rally-ending Las Minas Live TV Power Stage.
However, officials ruled that the four-time world champion’s Fiesta failed to drive around a chicane close to the end of the 11.07km stage and he was handed a ten second penalty. That dropped him from second to seventh in the Power Stage results, putting him outside the point-scoring positions.
M-Sport appealed the event stewards’ decision and the team’s client liaison manager, Richard Millener, presented its case to the FIA’s International Court of Appeal today. Ogier was not present at the hearing as the Frenchman is currently testing in Portugal.
On completion of the hearing, the FIA told M-Sport it will give its decision in ‘one to two weeks’.
If M-Sport’s appeal is successful, Ogier’s lead at the top of the drivers’ standings over Thierry Neuville would increase from 10 to 15 points, as his reinstatement in the Power Stage point-scoring positions would deduct a point from his Belgian rival’s tally. The manufacturers’ championship standings will remain unchanged.
source: wrc.com