There is a Sword of Damocles worth €10,000 hanging over Toyota’s head, namely a ‘suspended’ fine imposed on it for the statements released to Motorsport.com by Rob Leupen regarding the application of the Balance of Performance in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Last week, the Director of the TGR team gave an interview to the Dutch edition, answering the questions of our colleague Laurens Stade, who among the various topics touched upon also asked him for an opinion on the system that should level the performances of those who take part in the championship.
Since last year, however, the FIA and ACO have introduced an Article in the Sporting Regulations which prohibits all interested parties from speaking about it, as can be read in point 6.2.1.
“Manufacturers, Competitors, Drivers and any person or entity associated with their entries must not seek to influence the definition of the BoP or comment on the results, particularly through public statements, the media and social networks.”
“Any infringement of the above principles will be sanctioned by the Stewards at any time during the competition, including post-race.”
A decision that had left many astonished and that effectively put a real… gag on the mouths of the protagonists in a preventive manner, as if they wanted to avoid controversies on decisions and sporting-political choices of the referees of the competition.
In the end, one way or another (citing the infamous BoP or not), these bad moods are always the order of the day and between the lines of those who speak you can understand it without too many turns of phrase.
Rob Leupen, Toyota Racing Team Director
Photo by: Erik Junius
In the case of Toyota, its standard-bearers have not missed an opportunity to complain on several occasions; how can we forget the first Free Practice sessions of 2021 at Spa, at the debut of the Hypercars and what turned out to be a real ‘supercazzola’ boasting scenarios with the LMP2s playing the new generation prototypes, only to then find themselves dominating the scene far and wide, laughing under their mustaches.
This year it is also very true that in the first races the BoP was not at all in favor of the reigning Champion team (in Qatar, especially). In the case of Leupen, the system was mentioned and brought up with the request – rightly so, all things considered – to understand how it is applied and with what criteria, in order to have more clarity in general.
And all of this did not go unnoticed by the ineffable controllers of the FIA and ACO, who on Sunday issued Decision No. 7 regarding the interview and the fine of €10,000 suspended for the rest of 2024, with the following explanation.
#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“Mr Leupen’s statements to the press, in which he claims that in 2023 the FIA published the BoP one week before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, that it ‘did not comply with the applicable regulations’, that in 2024 the FIA process ‘is not transparent’ and that ‘honesty is required in the future’, together constitute a breach of Article 12.2.1.f of the International Sporting Code.”
“These statements call into question the impartiality of the FIA, cast suspicion on its integrity and therefore cause moral damage, especially considering that the press article in question was circulated in several countries.”
“Furthermore, these comments have the direct consequence of casting doubt on the integrity of the sporting results of the Championship and damaging its credibility. Consequently, these statements also constitute a violation of the last paragraph of Article 6.2.1 of the WEC Sporting Regulations.”
“The Stewards believe this is a serious breach of the regulations, but as this is the first application of these regulations in the championship, they have chosen to suspend the fine for the whole of 2024, provided there are no further breaches of these regulations by anyone associated with the competitor. All competitors are advised that future breaches will not be eligible for a suspended sanction.”
Toyota may eventually appeal, but for now it has only seen a yellow card waved under its nose, in a situation that by now – net of a rule that (however questionable) must be respected and enforced, if there is one – is increasingly becoming a surreal witch hunt.
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