BAR-Honda Cheating?

**Monseratto** · May 4th, 2005 08:07 PM

BAR Honda face possible exclusion
'Secret fuel tank' key for the ICA

BAR Honda team face a possible ban for cheating when they appeared before motor racing's International Court of Appeal on Wednesday. The team have been ordered to prove they did nothing illegal when the Briton claimed third place in last month's San Marino Grand Prix.

The FIA has appealed against a decision by the Imola track scrutineers who found Button's BAR conformed to the legal minimum weight limit. If it can be proved they cheated in using fuel as illegal ballast, they could be thrown out of the world championship. When the car was weighed immediately after the race it was found to be above the weight limit but it was below the limit when the fuel tank was drained.

FIA scrutineers at the track accepted BAR's explanation but the FIA, suspecting the car was loaded with petrol as ballast, has put the case before the FIA International Court of Appeal in Paris. The FIA has come down on cheating in the past. 1995 defending champions Toyota were thrown out of the World Rally Championship for using an illegal turbo-charger.

"If somebody is caught cheating, they will be out of the championship," said Max Mosley, the FIA President, before the start of the season. "And it doesn't matter who it is - whether it's Ferrari, Minardi or anybody in between. It has to be like that."

There has been speculation that the FIA was tipped off about BAR's so-called 'secret fuel tank' by former employees who are now working for a rival team. But if BAR were banned that would leave only 18 cars on the starting grid for the remainder of the 2005 season and possibly mean top teams having to field a third car to make up the numbers agreed between the race organisers and Formula One Management.

The verdict will be published on Thursday.

E.A.
Source AFP

**falken** · May 4th, 2005 08:17 PM

Well, if it's true that they cheated, all their previous points should be forfeited and given to the car next in line.

**Monseratto** · May 4th, 2005 08:23 PM

FIA request BAR exclusion if guilty
Plus a one million Euro fine.

BAR Honda will find out in the next 24 hours whether or not they are to be excluded from the remainder of the 2005 Formula One Championship.

According to the Reuters news agency, the FIA have requested the International Court of Appeal today in Paris that the team should be excluded from the championship and fined at least one million Euros if found guilty.

Few details are available at present, but it is up to BAR Honda, headed up by QC David Pannick, to prove that they did not intentionally run Jenson Button’s BAR Honda 007 underweight at the San Marino Grand Prix.

Button finished third at San Marino and a verdict is expected Thursday afternoon.

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International

**Monseratto** · May 4th, 2005 08:27 PM

San Marino was their first race to win points. Not only Jenson Button but also Takumo Sato is in danger of being kicked out of the 2005 season.

**squala** · May 5th, 2005 12:51 AM

They should also investigate on those claims that Ferrari have gone beyond the allowed amount of testing time. I (and this guy) think that's also cheating.

**van_wilder** · May 5th, 2005 01:04 AM

yep... medyo maduga but not exactly madaya... tuso lang sa tactics... rin ferrari although gusto ko teamwork nila...

**mazdamazda** · May 5th, 2005 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by squala

They should also investigate on those claims that Ferrari have gone beyond the allowed amount of testing time. I (and this guy) think that's also cheating.

the testing time limit is just a gentleman's agreement among the other F1 teams.

Alonso did admit though that Ferrari didn't agree really to the gentlemen agreement of the nine other teams, but doesn't approve what Ferrari is doing.

if they can afford it, why not?

**Monseratto** · May 5th, 2005 08:59 AM

Alonso's claims that Ferrari are cheating is actually wide of the mark as the Italian Champions have been perfectly up-front in the fact that they decided not to join the remaining nine teams in limiting testing this year. According to the FIA, this is completely legal as they do not dictate testing regulation.

**Monseratto** · May 5th, 2005 09:39 PM

BAR and Button get two-race ban

The BAR team has been banned for two races for running an underweight car at the San Marino Grand Prix.
An appeal court of motorsport's ruling body the FIA also stripped BAR of the 10 points won by Jenson Button and team-mate Takuma Sato at Imola.

But it stopped short of meeting the FIA's request that BAR be thrown out of the Formula One championship.

Button and Sato will now have to sit out Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix and the Monaco Grand Prix on 22 May.

And the decision to exclude BAR's San Marino GP results means the team will have no points when it returns for the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring on 29 May.

A further six-month ban has been suspended for a year.

Button's car was found to be 5.4kg underweight when it was weighed at the end of the race at Imola last month.

The FIA found two additional fuel tanks within the main tank and argued that BAR had broken rules by using fuel as ballast to allow the car to run light during a race - giving it a speed advantage.

Button took third place behind Renault's Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher at Imola.