Formula One: Red Bull appeal against Daniel Ricciardo disqualification rejected

Formula One team Red Bull's appeal against Daniel Ricciardo's (pictured) disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix has been rejected by the International Court of Appeal, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said on Tuesday, April 15,
Formula One team Red Bull's appeal against Daniel Ricciardo's (pictured) disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix has been rejected by the International Court of Appeal, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said on Tuesday, April 15, 2014. -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS

PARIS (REUTERS) - Formula One team Red Bull's appeal against Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix has been rejected by the International Court of Appeal, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said on Tuesday.

"The Court, after having heard the parties and examined their submissions, decided to uphold the Decision No. 56 of the stewards by which they decided to exclude Infiniti Red Bull Racing's car No. 3 from the results of the 2014 Australian Grand Prix," The FIA said in a statement.

Australian Ricciardo finished second in his home race last month, his debut for the world champions, but was disqualified hours later when stewards ruled his car had breached new fuel flow regulations. No further sanction against Red Bull was announced.

The hearing took place at the FIA headquarters in Paris on Monday with representatives from the federation and Red Bull arguing their case for almost six hours.

Rival teams Mercedes, the championship leaders who have won all three races so far this year, McLaren, Lotus, Williams and Force India also had representatives at the hearing being heard by a five-judge panel.

The case was seen as a critical test of the regulations accompanying the V6 turbo engines and energy recovery systems, with Red Bull arguing the sensors cannot be trusted, a version the FIA and other teams are disputing. Red Bull, instead, used their own method of measurement, in breach of an FIA technical directive.

Mercedes had come down hard on Red Bull, asking the judges to "impose a further sanction that is to be suspended until the end of the season" to prevent them from breaching the rules again.

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