Formula One champions Renault
hope a Paris appeal court will boost their title hopes on Tuesday.
The details at the centre of the controversy are hardly headline grabbing,
focusing on the intricacies of 'mass damper' systems.
Yet the outcome of the appeal by the International Automobile Federation
(FIA) against a ruling by its own stewards at last month's German Grand Prix
could have a considerable bearing on the season's last five races.
The stewards' 'Decision number eight' at Hockenheim on July 28 overruled an
earlier move by the governing body to ban a spring-mounted mass damper device
installed in the nose of the Renault.
The system, which improves race performance by levelling out tyre vibrations
and keeping grip levels consistent, had been used by the Anglo-French team since
September last year.
The FIA ruled last month that it constituted a moveable aerodynamic device
and was therefore illegal.
Although the stewards' backed Renault, the champions did not use the damper
in either Germany or the subsequent race in Hungary for fear of eventual
disqualification should the governing body be vindicated in their independent
court of appeal.
In that time, Ferrari have hacked away at Renault's lead, with Michael
Schumacher now just 10 points adrift of world champion Fernando Alonso ahead of
this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul.
Alonso, winner of six races this year, finished fifth in Germany and retired
in Hungary due to a damaged wheel nut while leading the race.
An indication of just how much the device matters came from team boss Flavio
Briatore who blasted the FIA in Hungary for what he considered an attempt to
manipulate the championship.
Although Renault are not directly involved in Tuesday's hearing, they will
attend.
The verdict is expected on Wednesday.
"The Renault F1 team has accepted this invitation as an interested party in
the outcome of the hearing, having pioneered the system in Formula One in late
2005 and integrated it from the outset in the design of its 2006 car," the team
said in a statement.
Renault's head of engineering Pat Symonds has said the team are convinced the
stewards will win the day because "the technical argument is so overwhelming."
