Arrows driver Tora Takagi has been disqualified from the French Grand Prix, for running on an unauthorised set of tyres.
Takagi, who finished the race 11th, was mistakenly fitted with his teammate's tyres during a pitstop. The FIA regulations allocate each driver a number of tyre sets, which should be marked as his for scrutineering, and no driver may use any set of tyres which are not allocated to him and marked. Therefore, even though the race stewards acknowledged that the tyre mix-up was an innocent mistake by Arrows, the stuck with the race scrutineers decision and disqualified Takagi.
Amended Results of the French Grand Prix:
CLASSIFIED
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda 1h58:24.343
2. Hakkinen Mclaren Mercedes + 5.000
3. Barrichello Stewart Ford + 34.500
4. R.Schumacher Williams Supertec + 40.700
5. M.Schumacher Ferrari + 42.000
6. Irvine Ferrari + 42.500
7. Trulli Prost Peugeot + 52.700
8. Panis Prost Peugeot + 55.000
9. Zonta BAR Supertec + 1:03.800
10. Badoer Minardi Ford + 1 Lap
11. de la Rosa Arrows TWR + 1 Lap
NOT CLASSIFIED
Driver Team On Lap Reason
Fisichella Benetton Playlife 42 spun off
Hill Jordan Mugen-Honda 31 retired
Zanardi Williams Supertec 26 spun off
Villeneuve Bar Supertec 25 spun off
Wurz Benetton Playlife 25 spun off.
Gene Minardi Ford 25 spun off
Alesi Sauber Petronas 24 spun off
Coulthard Mclaren Mercedes 9 electrical
Diniz Sauber Petronas 6 transmission
Herbert Stewart Ford 4 gearbox
Takagi Arrows TWR - Disqualified