Exclusion threat confirmed if teams break camber guidelines
The FIA, F1's governing body, has warned the teams they could be excluded from the Italian Grand Prix this weekend at Monza if they exceed the camber recommendations made by Pirelli.
The ruling comes as a result of what happened in Belgium two weeks ago, where a number of outfits - most noticeably Red Bull Racing - did not adhere to the advice given by Pirelli. They then suffered severe tyre blistering and after the race at Spa-Francorchamps, chief designer, Adrian Newey admitted he was 'relieved' to see both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber get safely to the chequered flag [see separate story - click here].
As a result, the camber settings will now be checked post-qualifying and any abnormalities could see the stewards take action under Article 2.3 of the F1 technical regulations, which reads: 'The stewards of the meeting may exclude a vehicle whose construction is deemed to be dangerous'.
Pirelli motorsport director, Paul Hembery confirmed via Twitter that the FIA issued its warning at 7.45 am this morning. He also added that 3.25 degree mandated angle would be just 'for this race'.
Speaking after Friday practice, Hembery also noted that there have been no real issues with blistering thus far.
"Conditions were particularly tough on Friday because of the heat at Monza as well as the usual high speeds, so we didn't see much evolution of the track from the morning to the afternoon. Despite this heavy punishment [though], the tyres performed well - especially the medium, with Lewis Hamilton making the most of the cooler conditions in the morning," he remarked. "We were analysing the data throughout the afternoon, but there appears to be no blistering outside the usual parameters for this circuit."
Meanwhile, Mark Webber has confirmed that Red Bull Racing had to make some adjustments for this race as a result of the camber guidelines issued for this 13th round.
