Toro Rosso have lost their appeal against the Japanese steward s decision to penalise Vinantonio Liuzzi.
Liuzzi was given a 25 second penalty for overtaking the Spyker of Sutil under yellow flag conditions during the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji. The penalty saw Liuzzi demoted one place to ninth, and saw Sutil earn the team s first world championship point after being boosted up to eighth place.
Toro Rosso appealed the original decision stating that they felt Liuzzi had not passed under yellow flag conditions however the decision from the Paris hearing sided with the stewards.
“Obviously we are disappointed but we accept the decision of the court,†Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost said. “Now all our attention is fixed on next weekend s final round of the season in Brazil where we hope to build on the good form the team has shown in recent races and try and win some more points on the track.â€
At the time of the penalty, the point the team lost was their sole point of the season. However at Shanghai, the team s fortunes changed and they managed a fourth and a sixth place, catapaulting them up to seventh in the constructors championship points which will lessen the blow of losing the point.
Spyker, meanwhile, are happy that the stewards decision was upheld. “I am delighted to confirm that the Court of Appeal has upheld the Stewards decision following the Japanese Grand Prix,†Spyker boss Colin Kolles remarked. “We felt our case was without doubt and the FIA had no objections to our evidence.
“This verdict has confirmed Spyker and Adrian Sutil s first ever world championship point which was well deserved given the difficult circumstances. The boost to the team has been invaluable and we can now move on to Brazil with renewed confidence.â€
