Quote:
Originally Posted by Tourer
I think that it's imperative for the FIA to bite off whatever they need to chew, regardless of the resources supposedly behind an entity that the FIA believes has breached the rules.
So far, a number of teams have lodged intention to appeal - maybe Stroll Snr's outburst is calculated to scare at least some of those teams out of actually appealing.
Until it ends up in the appeal process proper, it's all posturing and media statements - meaningless really.
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But did 'the' FIA themselves believe the cars we not legal, the cars are scrutineered by FIA officials before every race to ensure legality, where have we seen any indication from them (not rival teams) that they cars would not be allowed to race with certain parts.
You may recall that when Williams turned up at the F1 test last year, the FIA did intervene to say that the suspension part they had fitted was not legal.
In this case the test of legality has come from a protest from rival teams which the FIA has upheld and the penalty applied. I think in it likely that RP will point out the FIA's off the record treatment of Ferrari over their engine last year ans that no penalty was applied despite the FIA allegedly believing that what was on the car was not as it should be and Ferrari agreeing sufficiently to remove it on the basis it was all confidential.
I am sorry, but you cannot have a situation where one team has preferential treatment from the FIA and a confidential settlement and no apparant sanction other than the loss of performance caused (too bad..) yet another is able to have the rules policed by a rival team and face sanction.
The FIA needs to police all aspects of the rules themselves, not have endless appeals by rival teams and those tivals should not be able to push for a further appeal to have a rival disqualified - which is clearly the objective - even Ferrari for maximum hypocrosy...
Personally, I think if it gets deep into legal action and Stroll is well represented RP could win the case.