15/11/2020
NEWS STORY
Pierre Gasly is under investigation ahead of Today's Grand Prix after his team appeared to make an engine change then changed its mind.
"Yesterday the AlphaTauri team requested to change all PU elements on car number 10 (Gasly) for new ones," reports the FIA's technical delegate, Jo Bauer. "This request was approved at 18:55 on 14 September 2020, following a written request from the team concerned, this being in accordance with Article 34.2 of the 2020 Formula One Sporting Regulations.
"The team started to take the car apart and the car was on high stands over night due to the work already carried out (gearbox removed, ICE removed, radiators removed etc.)," he notes.
"This morning the team has withdrawn the request which allows an assumption that the change was requested for strategic reasons and not for physical ones.
"More importantly the car was already disassembled to a stage where it is impossible for the scrutineers and the other supervision means in place to guarantee that no modification to the car has been carried to any component by disassembling and refitting the original items.
"For the above mentioned reasons I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration."
Gasly, who is due to start from the fifth row this afternoon, could now be forced to start from the pitlane.
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