Kimi Raikkonen’a controversial weekend in Abu Dhabi has continued with the defending race winner excluded from qualifying following a technical inspection failure.
After the Ferrari bound driver arrived late at Yas Marina amid threatening not to drive over a pay dispute, the floor of the Lotus failed a front deflection test, leaving race stewards to drop the Finn to rear of the field for the race.
Officials did not accept the team’s explanation of kerb damage causing the left hand side of the floor to be flexing more than the permitted 5mm vertically when the testing load was applied to it.
A statement issued by the FIA said: “The stewards heard the explanation of the team that the relevant part broke upon contact with a kerb.
“However, the stewards did not accept that the incident referred to constituted an accident, or excused failing the relevant test.”
At the Hungarian Gran Prix the car of team-mate Romain Grosjean suffered a similar problem after hitting a kerb. On that occasion he avoided a penalty and therefore stewards felt that modifications should have been made to the cars to ensure that there was no repeat event.
Raikkonen had qualified fifth behind Mark Webber, who scored the 13th pole of his career.
