Pedro de la Rosa fails fuel test

[Gerard]

Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa could lose his ninth place grid position.

He could be bumped to the back of the grid for his home Grand Prix on Sunday after failing a fuel test in qualifying in Barcelona.

The Orange Arrows racer had qualified ninth for the Spanish Grand Prix - the best qualifying position of his 21-race Grand Prix career.

But FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer (yep, the same) said "fuel analysis shows that this fuel was not the same as the one which has been approved for the use of the Arrows team prior to the Event."

In his official statement Bauer noted Arrows took samples from their two racecars and from separate fuel drums from their fuel supplier and the FIA tested them and confirmed they were the same as those approved for use in this weekend’s Grand Prix.

The FIA has a wide range of powers including issuing a fine or even banning the driver but normally he either has to take his grid place from his next best lap or is put to the back of the field for the start.
source: Autosport.

[This message has been edited by Gerard (edited 06 May 2000).]

[RIKB]

That would be a real shame he has been really fired up in front of his home crowd.

[Dannyboy]

De la Rosa will start ninth an appeal will be heard after the race. The guy is really impressing though.

[Jay]

I remember last year Jacques Villeneuve was sent to the back of the grid for a bad sample.

Yet de la Rosa is allowed to keep his position pending a post race appeal.

That's the FIA for you!

[Liz]

Everyone appeals and it's heard after the race. People are tired of having the racing ruined by guys in suits.

Personally I'd run that fellow out of town fast before he does any more damage.

[EERO]

Darn , Darn, Darn.

I feel bad for De La Rosa who obviously is really excited to be racing in a competitive car at his home race.

[AL Racing]

Then he destroys Jean's race with a stupid manouver. And on top of all blames Jean! Damn rookie!

[Martin de Miguel]

Hi Al,

I believe that with your lasts comments you are not showing your experience in this forum. Please review the race again and see who was faster and who had the advantage in the turn. Then please calibrate who destroyed the race of who.

Thank you

[AL Racing]

Miguel, No doubt Pedro was faster, but it was a stupid move, have you ever seen somebody overtake there!!? He was cranky starting at the back and wanted to get pass cars in anger. And he wasn't ever in front of Jean, he was along side, slightly behind and you don't get passed people these days unless you are in front in such of a corner. If it was at the end of the pit-straight it would of been another matter, but he was too greedy. So as I said, a rookie mistake.

[Martin de Miguel]

Hi Al,

I have to apologize because maybe I have been a little subjective, It is obvious that De la Rosa is the faster "Rookie"(with all my respects to Mr. Button, that is amazing, even though he has a very good car) if we can consider De la Rosa a rookie. I wasn't able to see the images, therefore if Pedro says that he was 3/4 of a car in front of Jean(DailyF1) and you say that he hadn't pass Jean yet, when they had the incident. I have no reason not to believe neither you nor Pedro therefore I am sorry but I have not enough knowledge about this matter.
I am also an Alesi's fan, however I am starting to wonder why all the other pilots aren't very happy when they find him in a racetrack.

Thank you

PD: De Miguel is the last name, my name is Martin. Thank you

[This message has been edited by Martin de Miguel (edited 08 May 2000).]

[Sparky]

If the fuel drums and the cars were all sampled and passed previously, how was the fuel tested just prior to the race different? Surely it would have come from the drums? Why weren't the drums failed too?

Testing inconsistancies? ...Again?

[Green_man4421]

Why just one ARrowz and not both. They wouldn't use diffrent fuels would they?

[AL Racing]

Well Martin, here's a quote from de la Rosa, taken from Daily F1

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"Alesi was blocking me like crazy so I went to overtake him and had three quarters of the car inside him but he just closed the door."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thats what I meant, he wasn't in front of Jean in a corner virtually impossible to overtake. Thats why I think it was a stupid move in desperation to nake up places.