Kimi Raikkonen has been disqualified from qualifying after his car failed a floor deflection test when it underwent post-qualifying scrutineering.
The Finn had qualified fifth but will now start last after the stewards found the left hand side of his E21’s floor deflected more than the permitted 5mm vertically when the testing load was applied.
The Lotus team pleaded with the stewards, blaming kerb damage as the cause of the issue, but they didn’t accept the explanation and therefore upheld their decision to exclude him.
A statement from the stewards reads: “The stewards heard the explanation of the team that the relevant part broke upon contact with a kerb.
“However, the stewards did not accept that the incident referred to constituted an accident, or excused failing the relevant test.”
