At the FIA's International Court of Appeal, Renault has claimed that its one race ban is "excessive and unfair".

The French team received the ban following an incident during the Hungarian GP when a wheel fell off Fernando Alonso's car after being incorrectly fitted during a pitstop. Race Stewards subsequently claimed that Alonso was sent out by his team following his pit stop in the full knowledge that there was a problem with the wheel, an accusation the French outfit vehemently denies.

The incident came just twenty-four hours after Felipe Massa was injured when a spring fell from Rubens Barrichello's car and one week after F2 driver Henry Surtees was killed after being hit by a wheel at Brands Hatch. Many F1 insiders and fans believe that the subsequent banning of Renault from the European Grand Prix is a 'knee jerk' reaction to the two previous incidents.

Addressing the Court of Appeal this morning, Renault's lawyer, Ali Malek, argued: "This case does not deserve more than a reprimand," claiming that a race ban should be reserved for more serious offences such as "cheating and conscious wrongdoing". "Was there conscious wrongdoing from Renault? There was none whatsoever," he said.

Referring to the claim that the Renault crew was aware of the problem yet still released Alonso, Malek said: "The only persons who knew were the two mechanics. Nobody on the pit wall knew there was a problem and the driver did not know either. There was a series of unfortunate events but no conscious wrongdoing."

However, representing the FIA, Paul Harris said: "The car should not have been left out on the track. The mechanics are employed by the team and their knowledge must be attributed to the team. Renault cannot simply rely on their flawed procedures to say they could not communicate. Two wrongs don't make a right."