Oliver White
In typical Formula One fashion, the title is not yet over. Despite winning the Brazilian Grand Prix a few hours ago, Kimi Raikkonen may not have won the title yet. The reason behind this lack of confirmation falls to the fuel temperature of both BMWs and both Williams, three of which cars finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the final positions in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
According to the rules, the temperature of the fuel onboard the cars must not be less than 10 degrees Celsius of the ambient temperature of the circuit area. Should the fuel be cooler, it means that more fuel can be pumped into the cars, thus giving those drivers an unfair advantage. And post-race scrutineering has found Robert Kubica’s, Nick Heidfeld’s, Nico Rosberg’s and Kazuki Nakajima’s fuel to be irregular in terms of temperature.
The ambient temperature of Autodromo Carlos Pace was 37 degrees Celsius, and during his two pit stops, Heidfeld came in at 24 and 25 degrees Celsius. Should two of the drivers finishing ahead of Hamilton in the race get disqualified, Hamilton would be promoted and thus gain more points. This would make him world champion. And in traditional FIA style, I wouldn’t put it past them to do this. However, with Hamilton’s rule infringement earlier in the weekend (using two sets of wet weather tyres in practice sessions – the scoundrel [sarcasm]), should BMW and Williams be found to be in the wrong, the FIA may just impose a fine.
I will update when more is known and confirmed.
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