Giancarlo Fisichella could be declared the winner of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix after the FIA announced it was reviewing the result because of a timekeeping problem.
Giancarlo Fisichella could be declared the winner of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix after the FIA announced it was reviewing the result because of a timekeeping problem.
McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen was named the victor after the race was stopped on lap 55 because of an accident involving Fernando Alonso. Though Fisichella was leading at the time, according to the rules, the car that was leading two laps before the lap on which the race was stopped would be named the winner.
The FIA said in a statement that Fisichella may have actually led for one more lap then had been previously stated. “The FIA has received evidence which suggests that, contrary to information supplied by the time-keepers at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Fisichella had started his 56th lap before the race was stopped.
“If this proves to be the case, the race classification would be that at the end of the 54th lap and not at the end of the 53rd lap as published,” the controlling body said in a statement. The FIA said it was meeting Brazilian Grand Prix officials on Friday to review the race.
World champion Michael Schumacher told German television that Fisichella should have won the race. “One gets full points if three quarters of the distance is completed, which would be 54 laps. 55 laps were raced but two are deducted and, based on this, Raikkonen was declared the winner,” said Schumacher.
“If the FIA says that more laps were raced then they must declare Fisichella the winner. It will be interesting to see how they explain this.”
