Enstone, Monday: A representative from Renault’s Formula One team has revealed that he is to take legal action against the FIA after he suffered “bruising and lingering pain” after F1 race stewards threw the book at the team yesterday.
Steve Nielsen, team manager for the French outfit, was summoned to see the stewards after the race, following the team’s decision to release Fernando Alonso from his pit stop while one of his wheels was loose. The errant wheel worked its way off Alonso’s car during the following lap, eventually coming to rest against the crash barriers.
“When the stewards throw the book at you, I’d never realised before that it was an actual book,” Nielsen revealed after his meeting with Hungarian GP officials. “It’s a very big and heavy book too, which is quite painful when it hits you. You’d think, after the events of the past week, FIA-appointed representatives would be more careful about throwing heavy objects around.”
The stewards, however, defended their actions, releasing a statement which read: “Renault’s actions at the Hungarian Grand Prix were foolish and dangerous, potentially putting many lives unnecessarily at risk. We fully stand by our response to their rule violations. This is a wheel we’re talking about. It’s not a completely safe and reasonable object to have flying off your car at high speed, like a loose exhaust pipe or something.”
The book in question is said to be one of the many biographies of Lewis Hamilton that appeared on the shelves following his impressive debut season in 2007. “It’s not like we had any other use for it,” the stewards pointed out.
Nielsen is arguing that stewards should use less literal methods of dealing with rule violations. “I suppose it explains why Martin Whitmarsh’s wrist was a bit sore after McLaren were summoned to the Liegate hearing,” he admitted.
