Ferrari has been handed a fine for the unsafe release of Kimi Räikkönen during the United States Grand Prix. Since Räikkönen did not complete the race, a sporting penalty was not possible, so the FIA was forced to enforce a monetary fine.
Ferrari opted to run Räikkönen’s race on an aggressive three stop pit strategy. This means that the team were hoping to have more speed on the track, at the risk of making a third pit stop. While changing on to the soft compound tyres on lap 38, Räikkönen was shown the green light to leave the pit box, but the right rear tyre had not been secured properly. The team told Räikkönen to stop the car, putting an end to his race at the pit exit. He reversed back into the pitlane, where he parked his car.
“Obviously the end result of this race is far from ideal. It’s a pity because the performance of the car today was good,” explained Kimi Räikkönen. “When I left the pits after the third pit stop I slowed down a bit and asked if everything was ok because I saw some sparks coming out. At the end of the pitlane the team told me to stop. Now we have to understand what happened, the rear wheel nut had not fitted properly.”
The FIA is strict on the requirement that the wheel nuts need to be secured fully, as loose tyres can become a dangerous piece of debris on the circuit. In most cases, some form of sporting penalty would be given, but the FIA imposed a €5000 fine to the team.
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Weekend Summary: 2016 United States Grand Prix