Missed it by that much…

RichardsF1    F1 2011, Formula 1     FIA, Peter Sauber, Rules, Sauber

The rear wings that resulted in the disqualification of both Saubers from the points at the Australian Grand Prix failed the technical regulations by just 3 millimetres!

That is the claim of team boss Peter Sauber, whose new C30 challengers were stripped of the points earned by a double-top-ten finish for Sergio Pérez (7th) and Kamui Kobayashi (8th) when their rear wings were found not to confirm to the technical regulations.

The rules governing the dimensions of the movable upper element on the rear wing state that its concave radius must be 100mm or greater.

Breaking the news was particularly tough for the race’s guest steward, Johnny Herbert, who drove for the Swiss for three seasons (1996-8).

“Unfortunately, the rules were clear and we had no choice but to disqualify them,” the Briton wrote in his column for The National newspaper.

But that’s of small consolation for Herr Sauber, who described the situation as: “A lunacy. The radius was 95 or 97 millimetres. We’re devastated.

“We have two different types of wing, and one of them seems not to have been precisely controlled during the construction.

“But for sure there was no [performance] advantage,” Sauber insisted. “Even more painful is that Force India are now in the points with both cars.”

We may have to disagree with Sauber’s last claims about the performance advantage, as the C30s recorded the fastest time through the circuit’s speed trap…

Either way, the team announced that it was considering an appeal on the ruling.

[Image via Sutton Images]