Who decides whether an appeal needs to be heard?
Either Ferrari could bring it to the attention of the FIA, ie lodge a protest,
or the FIA might commence proceedings independently. Of course, the matter
has already been brought to the governing body’s attention thanks to the
scores of websites running the on-board footage, and to Ferrari’s public
statement that they are “evaluating” it.
What would the public reaction be if the championship is overturned?
Sensational, to put it mildly. Formula One already has a reputation for
shooting itself in both feet from a PR point of view, but this would be on
another level. It would be Formula One’s version of awarding the 1966 World
Cup to West Germany one week after the final because some replays suggested
the ball was out of play before the throw-in which eventually led to
England’s crucial third. Vettel has already been back to Red Bull’s factory
in Milton Keynes to parade the trophy and to speak to the world’s media. It
would be a farce.
What about the reaction from within the sport?
It would certainly go down badly – other than with diehard tifosi – but F1
fans are used to this sort of chicanery. Rules are rules and Ferrari are
theoretically within their rights to try to overturn the result, even if it
may seem unsporting. Red Bull would almost certainly sue if the championship
was taken away from Vettel. There is no way of knowing whether a penalty at
the time – if there was indeed any infringement – would affected the
German’s finishing position since there was a later safety car which bunched
the field. Either way, it reflects badly on the FIA, who did not act at the
time and have not put a halt to the growing intrigue.
Has this sort of penalty been applied before?
Yes. In 2001 in Melbourne Kimi Raikkonen won his first championship point
after Sauber team-mate Nick Heidfeld complained after the race that Olivier
Pains had overtaken under yellow. Team manager Beat Zehnder asked the
stewards to investigate. The Frenchman got a penalty, and Raikkonen moved up
to sixth.