(Reuters) – Formula One stewards have deferred from Wednesday to Thursday a virtual hearing into a petition by the Haas team to review, and potentially change, the results of the U.S. Grand Prix weeks after the event.
The stewards said in a statement that the delay was to allow stewards “to independently consider the submissions made”.
Haas, now bottom of the championship standings, sought the review during last weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix because they believe some rivals exceeded track limits without sanction in the Oct. 22 race.
The hearing will reconvene at 1400GMT on Thursday to decide whether a “significant and relevant new element was discovered that was unavailable to the party seeking the review at the time of the decision(s) petitioned to be reviewed”.
It will move on to a second stage only if such an element is discovered.
Representatives of Aston Martin, Williams and champions Red Bull were summoned to the virtual hearing.
Williams driver Alex Albon, who ended up ninth in Austin, was one of several drivers who allegedly committed track limits breaches at turn six without penalty.
Haas had Nico Hulkenberg finish 11th in the race but a five second penalty for Albon would lift the German into the final scoring position.
Stewards said at the time that based on the video footage available, which did not include CCTV, the evidence was not accurate or consistent enough to be sure Albon had gone over the white line.
Red Bull’s involvement would appear to relate to Sergio Perez, fourth in the grand prix won by team mate Max Verstappen, while Canadian Lance Stroll was Aston Martin’s only finisher in seventh place.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
