The Worldwide Court docket of Attraction has upheld the choice of the stewards in disqualifying Antonio Felix da Costa from the Misano E-Prix, that means he has misplaced his Components E win.
The Portuguese driver took his first win of the season on Components E’s inaugural go to to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli again in April, however he was stripped of the victory after his Porsche was discovered to have an ineligible throttle damper setting associated to the spring fitted to his automotive.
Instantly following the disqualification, Porsche lodged an intent to appeal giving the German producer 96 hours to resolve whether or not to pursue the matter, earlier than electing to take it the ICA the place its enchantment was heard on 7 June.
The German automotive model argued that the half in query had been beforehand used on the Gen2 machines however its inclusion within the “GEN3 Spark Catalogue” was eliminated when the brand new automotive was launched for the 2022-23 season.
It additionally argued “it was by no means reprimanded throughout the checks for utilizing the disputed spring [previously], it was unattainable to confirm compliance with all the Catalogue so quickly earlier than the race, and the usage of the disputed spring had not given it any sporting benefit”, in response to court docket papers.
Nevertheless, the court docket famous that “the duty to adjust to the technical laws and the legal responsibility incurred because of non-compliance lie solely with rivals”.
Antonio Felix da Costa, TAG Heuer Porsche Components E Group, Porsche 99X Electrical Gen3
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
It additionally added that Porsche had not produced “any proof to the impact that the FIA’s technical workers checked the disputed spring and admitted its compliance” after the beginning of the 2022-23 season, regardless of the staff utilizing the unlawful half over the past one and a half years.
As regards to the half providing no efficiency benefit, it was said that “in accordance with Article 1.3.3 of the Code, ‘If an Car is discovered to not adjust to the relevant technical laws, it shall be no defence to assert that no efficiency benefit was obtained'”.
Rejecting the enchantment and upholding the unique stewarding choice, it means da Costa and Porsche lose the victory and 25 factors that it might have acquired, leaving the German producer 73 factors behind Jaguar within the groups’ championship.
Because the Misano race, da Costa has secured two additional victories this season on the earlier two rounds in Berlin and Shanghai, however sits seventh and 83 factors behind championship chief Nick Cassidy with solely 4 races remaining, starting with the Portland E-Prix double-header this weekend.