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F1 is an extremely technical sport, with an intricate decision-making process for the smallest of things. The FIA commands everything and makes sure that every team follows the governing rules and regulations.
From not adhering to the budget cap to not following car weight instructions, even the tiniest mistake can cost a team millions of dollars. Without a doubt, every aspect of the sport is equally important, and a team has to follow ground rules to the extreme. There have been several times when teams have tried cheating their way out.
When FIA simply doesn't agree to certain terms of race or process, the authoritative body makes post-race decisions. These decisions are usually some of the most controversial ones. In such cases, the stewards review the situation immaculately. There could be various reasons behind the late decision and it could change the course of the race, however it ended.
Whatever the reason, it definitely adds more drama to the situation. Notably, race leads, even wins, and podiums have been stripped off of drivers as a result of F1's late scrutiny. So, let's look at some of the times this happened:
#1 When James Hunt was denied his unique F1 1976 British GP win
James Hunt had a rollercoaster ride during his 1976, epic title fight with Niki Lauda. While Hunt did emerge victorious by just a point, it wasn't without drama. He saw two disqualifications that year: the F1 Spanish GP and the F1 British GP. In both cases, he won the race, only for the stewards to award it to Lauda post-race. While his Spanish GP win was reinstated two months later, the British one was not.
Back then, as soon as the British GP started, at Lap 1 Niki Lauda-Clay Regazzoni's accident stopped the race. Hunt, caught in the middle of the incident, picked up some damage to his McLaren.
Later on, the stewards announced that drivers can only restart the race if they are in their original cars and have finished the first lap of the race (Hunt did not). McLaren returned to the pits immediately after the race was stopped.
As debate ensued, Hunt's car was cleverly repaired by the mechanics in the meantime. Further, the British crowd's chants of "We Want Hunt" and aggressive demeanor scared the authorities. They relented and allowed Hunt to race.
However, post-race Ferrari appealed the Briton's win to the FIA. A tribunal was held in Paris and after listening to both McLaren and Ferrari, F1 decided that Hunt would be disqualified from the race. Notably, the original race was held on 18 July 1976, with its final decision only being announced in September.
#2 When Aryton Senna was controversially denied his 1989 Suzuka win
The 1989 F1 championship was a heated battle between McLaren F1 duo Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. The championship reached its penultimate round in Japan. Senna had to win there to keep the title fight alive against Prost.
Prost despite being P2 had a great start and started pulling away from Senna. However, post tire changes, Senna started catching up. In his pursuit to overtake the Frenchman (which Prost noted and turned in), they both collided on Lap 46. The race leader was out, while Senna asked the marshals for help and with a little push took the exit route, cutting the chicane.
Though he won, post-race the stewards announced his disqualification for not rejoining the track where he left it. Notably, even though Prost was the champion, fingers were pointed at the then FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre. The Frenchman was accused of favoring his fellow countryman.
#3 Sergio Perez's delayed F1 2022 Singapore GP victory
Sergio Perez led all the laps on the Marina Bay circuit post its return from a two-year hiatus. The Mexican was unfazed even after facing a heavy challenge from Charles Leclerc. The driver maintained his calm as Leclerc often tried to make attempts to gain P1.
However, the Red Bull F1 camp was informed of Sergio Perez's safety car infringement mid-race. Eduardo Freitas, the F1 Race Director, conveyed to the team that Perez was not within the required 10-car-lengths distance of a safety car (twice). This allowed Red Bull to ask Perez to pull off a seven-and-a-half-second margin over Leclerc to compensate later.
However, it confused the fans when the decision came post podium celebrations. While many were sure that Perez was the winner, for a brief moment there was a chance that Leclerc could have won. Nonetheless, the Mexican was only posted with a five-second penalty and a reprimand.
This allowed the driver to keep his win. It is worth noting that Perez made the mistake twice, with the FIA even acknowledging it. In such cases, the win is usually handed to the second-placed driver. Hence, beyond doubt, the post-Singapore GP timeline will always remain controversial and confusing for many.
So these are some of the instances when the driver and the team faced a controversial post-race situation. These are always very non-ideal circumstances for the fraternity.
