Today’s ‘cool fuel’ appeal lodged by McLaren could be dismissed on a technicality, according to speculation.
It is expected that lawyers for BMW-Sauber and Williams, the two teams faced with the prospect of exclusion or other penalties for allegedly using colder fuel than is allowed at Interlagos last month, will argue that Ron Dennis’ outfit did not follow the proper appeal procedures.
According to reports, McLaren’s main problem is that it did not actually protest the outcome of the title finale, relying instead on merely taking issue with the stewards’ ruling.
Bernie Ecclestone told The Times that he hoped the BMW and Williams lawyers are proved correct. “That would be exactly right,” he agreed.
To the Guardian newspaper, McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh insists that the Court of Appeal action in London is not a desperate attempt to install Lewis Hamilton as world champion.
“Victory for us would be a clarification of the rationale behind the FIA stewards’ decision,” he told the newspaper.
The Evening Standard quoted him as saying: “Like all true devotees of motor sport we would never like to see a drivers’ championship decided in court.”
Michael Schumacher, speaking with reporters after again going quickest at the Barcelona test on Wednesday, said he hoped his Ferrari successor Kimi Raikkonen’s title is upheld.
“If you start to change the classification (now), I think it would be bad for formula one because it had been finished fair and square on the track,” the retired German said.
The Spanish newspaper ‘Marca’ quoted him as also saying: “Perhaps McLaren lost the title because Raikkonen and Massa are better.”
His opinion that Raikkonen’s title is fairly safe is also shared by his former title nemesis, 1996 world champion Damon Hill.
“I think it’s very, very unlikely that will happen,” the Briton said when he was asked if Raikkonen’s title is in danger.
Regardless of all signs pointing against it though, anything is possible and the world championship could be overturned today. The F1 world waits in breathless anticipation.
