Eight cars were inspected post-race, including the #50 Ferrari 499P that was referred to the stewards for a breach.
The officials found the car’s rear wing support was not in compliance with the prescribed deflection test under article 3.8.7 of the LMH technical regulations.
Ferrari discovered the issue during the race but did not rectify it. The team argued that there was no performance gain.
Ultimately, the car was disqualified, stripping Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, and Miguel Molina of their fourth place finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 30 points that come with it for the FIA World Endurance Championship.
“During the hearing, the Competitor stated that the excessive deflection was linked to the missing bolts, and claimed that no performance gain was achieved,” the stewards report read.
“It was further explained that during the last pit stop at 15:23, a mechanic noticed the absence of only one bolt on the rear wing support, but no corrective action was taken before the end of the race.
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“The Competitor explained this decision was made after reviewing the car telemetry, which allegedly showed no change the car’s speed.
“The Stewards noted that Car 50 achieved its highest top speed on lap 380 out of 387.”
The stewards argued that the car being out of its technical specification was justification for it being disqualified.
“It is well-established jurisprudence in motorsport that non-compliance with technical regulations leads to disqualification, unless the Competitor can prove that exceptional circumstances justify otherwise, which was not claimed in this case,” the report continued.
“Moreover, the scrutineers, who are the competent authority on safety matters, considered the rear wing assembly noncompliance to present a potential safety risk.
“In particular, the irregular and incomplete assembly of the rear wing support presents a risk of structural failure under high-speed stress or fatigue, which cannot be overlooked.
“For the above reasons, and pursuant to the applicable sporting and technical regulations, car No. 50 is disqualified from the final classification of the race.”
Ferrari can appeal the decision in accordance with the FIA International Sporting Code and the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules.
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