28/07/2013
NEWS STORY
Fernando Alonso has escaped punishment after it was found that he used DRS whilst more than a second behind the car in front.
Post-race data analysis confirmed that the infraction happened on three occasions during the race, a breach of Article 27.5 (b) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.
Handing his team a 15,000 euro fine, the stewards revealed that Ferrari had not changed the DRS enabling system from the pre-race setting to the race setting, Alonso therefore incorrectly received 'DRS enabled' messages and reacted to them - when not entitled to - on three occasions.
As soon as the team became aware of the problem they informed the driver to only use DRS when told to do so.
Whilst a small sporting advantage (less than one second over the entire race) was gained, Ferrari argued that Alonso also suffered a disadvantage by being unable to use DRS on every legitimate occasion. However, the team is ultimately responsible for ensuring the system conforms to the regulations.
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