Toro Rosso fined over wheel issue

Toro Rosso has been fined 10,000 Euros after the incident during the Chinese Grand Prix that saw Jaime Alguersuari lose a wheel.

The Spaniard had started the race from seventh on the grid but was forced to retire from the race after losing a wheel shortly after his first pit-stop; having been unable to get the car back to the pits on three wheels.

Stewards deemed that Toro Rosso had breached the regulations by allowing an unsafe release of the car with the fine being handed out a result.

"From quite early on I was struggling with grip from the rear tyres, so we decided to come in earlier than planned for the first stop to try and fight back for the ground lost at the start," Alguersuari said of the incident. "Then, immediately after leaving the pits, I felt the car was very unstable and then I lost a wheel nut and the wheel came off, so there was nothing I could do.

"After my best qualifying position I was hoping for better even if we knew we would be using quite worn tyres after qualifying, so we had started on my worst set of tyres to try and have an edge later in the race, but it was not to be."