Misano’s lost victory goes to court

The decision has been made: Porsche has now sent a written appeal to the FIA ​​against the disqualification of winner Antonio Felix da Costa from Saturday’s Formula E race at Misano. Therefore the case will go to the International Court of Appeal of the International Automobile Federation FIA. Race results and the current championship standings remain provisional until the process is complete.

On Saturday evening, Porsche announced at Misano that it had announced its intention to appeal to the FIA. From this point forward, Porsche had 96 hours to write this. On Wednesday, the car manufacturer from Stuttgart completed this step in time before the deadline (8:35 pm) and vice versa Motorsport-Magazin.com is also confirmed. Porsche’s official words are: “We confirm that Porsche has appealed the Stewards’ Decision No. 31 at the Misano E-Prix of the FIA ​​​​Formula E World Championship on April 13, 2024.”

Disqualification costs Porsche’s World Championship lead

Felix da Costa won Saturday’s race in Misano on the track, but was disqualified about five hours after the end of the race. The FIA ​​stewards’ decision was based on the spring in the power pedal of Felix da Costa’s 99X, which comes from custom components manufacturer Spark Racing Technology. However, this was not on the Spark parts list for a while and therefore should not have been installed on a Porsche race car.

Although factory driver Pascal Wehrlein reduced the damage to the Zuffenhausen side with his victory in the second race at Misano on Sunday, the relegation was painful on two counts: not only would the win represent Felix da Costa’s redemption after a difficult start. season, but also brought important points in the World Cup. With 25 points, Porsche would lead not only the World Drivers’ Championship (Wehrlein) after the Misano weekend, but also the team classification. Instead, the German automaker sits third, 19 points behind factory team Jaguar.

Porsche and Spark in opposition

Porsche’s surprise in the situation was already evident in the management’s justification for their decision. Team manager James Lindesay argued that changes in Spark’s nearly 100-page catalog are usually highlighted so everyone can see the changes. However, Spark members Jeremy Boudot and Pierre Prunin objected to this representation, according to a letter from the sports commissioners.

“We had a speed pedal spring in the car that came as standard equipment at the start of the Gen3 because the new springs that were intended for the Gen3 car were not yet available from the standard equipment manufacturers,” explained team boss Florian Modlinger. alongside the Porsche Tennis GP in Stuttgart the exact opposite Motorsport-Magazin.com the nature of the problem.

“When everything is changed to components or there are enough changes, a new version is issued by the manufacturer of the common part And there, when something is added or parts are changed, the changes are saved with a yellow mark,” Modlinger confirmed Porsche’s. presentation method about the change process in the Spark catalog.

Modlinger admits mistakes

According to Modlinger, the change in the question about the spring on the power pedal already took place during the 2023 season – without any marks. “From one version to another, these accelerator pedal springs, where there were five in the first version, were reduced to three.” However, the 43-year-old acknowledged his team’s shortcomings: “The mistake we made was that it was ignored.”

However, Modlinger openly accused the FIA ​​on international television on Sunday: “We have the feeling and the feeling that not all teams are treated equally. This must be the main rule of the world championship – also in the future.”

Modlinger during an interview with us in Stuttgart: “That was in the interview scene with Karun Chandhok (former racing driver and Formula E expert; editor) explains what happened and he wonders and thinks about including other teams “There is no other step have been taken.”

“And when I was asked, I said what happened: that it was a part that was removed from the list without having a score. And that there is a certain situation where we have a personal feeling like “All teams are treated equally here. in the paddock,” the boss of the Porsche team also maintained his opinion. “And that this is a must for the FIA ​​World Championship and we will always fight to ensure that all teams are treated equally. I made this statement and I stand by it.”

Porsche’s final selection isn’t until 2023

It is not the first time Porsche has clashed with the highest regulatory authority since joining Formula E in 2019. It was only at the 2023 season finale in London that Porsche appealed after a 3-minute penalty against Felix da Costa. The Portuguese had secured second place in Saturday’s race, but was penalized for not exceeding the tire pressure. Porsche said that it was slowly burning beyond its own capabilities, while Felix da Costa angrily described the FIA ​​as “not good enough”. But the appeals court upheld the penalty, which would not have made any significant difference to the outcome of the World Cup anyway.

Porsche had previously announced its intention to appeal in Puebla, Mexico, in 2021, but ultimately decided against it. At the time, the Zuffenhausen-based company had taken its first Formula E victory at the track through Wehrlein, who, however, was disqualified due to an official tire registration error. Now, like last year in London, Porsche would like the sensitive issue from Misano to be clarified by the FIA ​​appeal court. The truth is, and also confirmed by the FIA, that Porsche and da Costa did not have a competitive advantage due to this mistake. In 2024, Formula E will face its next legal battle behind the scenes. After Porsche’s objection in London last year, it took more than three months for the final decision to be made.