Tuesday March 28th, 2000

The FIA has set the date for a ruling on the appeal by the West McLaren Mercedes team against the exclusion of its driver, David Coulthard, from the results of last Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo.

The International Court of Appeal will hear McLaren's case in Paris, France on Monday, 3 April 2000.

McLaren is appealing against decision No33 of the Brazilian Grand Prix race stewards, who excluded Coulthard from second place after the front wing of his McLaren-Mercedes was found not to comply with Art.3.7 of the Formula One Technical Regulations during a routine post-race technical inspection.

The wing endplates were found to be located 7mm too low - or 2mm lower than the permitted 5mm tolerance.

McLaren has admitted the infringement, but will plead that there were mitigating circumstances. It will declare to the court that its car was entirely legal before the start of the Grand Prix. It contends that the infringement was caused by structural damage incurred by the car during the race, as it bottomed out and vibrated excessively on the bumpy main straight of the Interlagos circuit.

Under the FIA procedure, the appeal was lodged with the world governing body on McLaren's behalf by the MSA, the national motorsports authority in the UK, where the team has its HQ in Woking, Surrey.

The International Court of Appeal is the FIA's highest judicial body, and normally convenes in Paris. It consists of 15 judges from all over the world, elected each year by the FIA General Assembly, and is conceived to be independent of the FIA. Five of the elected judges, whose identities are kept secret until the hearing, rule on each individual case.

The swift action of the FIA is indicative of its new policy in Formula One of resolving appeals and disputes arising from one Grand Prix before the next takes place. The Formula One World Championship will continue on the Sunday after the McLaren appeal hearing, at Imola, Italy, the venue of the San Marino Grand Prix.