FORMULA ONE: BAR was accused yesterday of "fraudulent conduct" by Formula One's governing body when it asked its own court of appeal to disqualify the team and their British driver Jenson Button from the 2005 world championship, writes Alan Henry.
The FIA also requested that the team be fined €1 million for deliberately infringing technical rules in the San Marino Grand Prix 11 days ago, where Button finished third.
The FIA's submission in Paris detailed eight counts on which BAR allegedly broke the rules and specifically accused the team of building an illegal secondary fuel tank into Button's car for the purposes of retaining additional fuel as illegal ballast. The verdict will be announced today.
The governing body also accused the team of demonstrating "bad faith and intention to secure the participation of a car known by them to be illegal" and "falsely claiming to the scrutineers that their car had no fuel left in it, knowing that in truth the car still contained more than 11kg".
The FIA's conclusion was that the fuel system of Button's car had been designed to enable the car to run below the 600kg limit. That reduction in weight would make the car quicker for the majority of the race, the idea being that extra fuel would be pumped into the hidden tank at the final pit-stop, which would bring the car up to the legal limit when weighed after the race.
The FIA deposition recounted events in the scrutineering bay at Imola where Button's car was held for six hours before being given a clean bill of health by the race stewards, a conclusion the FIA asserted was "mistaken".
A small amount of fuel was found in the main tank. "On closer inspection we noticed there was a clear plastic tube running into a bulkhead fitting on the bottom front wall of the fuel tank," the report continued. "When queried, the team could offer no real explanation as to its purpose.
"When asked what was behind the front wall and where the pipe led to, the team members could again offer no clear explanation. They were asked if the area behind this front wall would contain fuel and no one was prepared to give a definitive answer.
"The team were informed that the pipe would have to be removed to allow inspection by means of an endoscope. The pipe was removed by the team, and an endoscope inserted through the hole on the front wall of the tank to reveal that there was indeed fuel within this compartment."
BAR asked the court to dismiss the FIA appeal. Geoff Willis, their technical director, said the team had done nothing wrong. "At no time would I allow anybody in the team to do anything illegal, we have a common culture of integrity and fairness," he said.
The team said the car had no secret tank, but a fuel collector aimed at distributing fuel more efficiently.
Bernie Ecclestone, the commercial rights holder, offered little hope for a not-guilty verdict. "With the information available, you have to assume they'll be found guilty."
Guardian Service
TENNIS: Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova looked quick and confident yesterday as she breezed past German 19-year-old Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-2 6-2 to win a third round place in the German Open claycourt tournament.
Sharapova, who is the top seed in Berlin and will become world number one if she wins, took control from the start, pushing early to the net for winning returns.
Her match against the German, whose highest world ranking is 40, lasted just over an hour.
Former world number one Justine Henin-Hardenne was forced to struggle during a tight baseline battle to beat 22-year-old Czech Iveta Benesova 7-5 4-6 6-1.
TENNIS: Andre Agassi's eagerly anticipated contest against French teenager Richard Gasquet failed to live up to its billing yesterday as the 2002 champion coasted to a 6-2 6-3 victory in the Rome Masters.
Agassi was joined in the last 16 of the tournament by fourth seed Tim Henman of Britain, who made light work of Chile's Nicolas Massu 6-3 6-2, and Argentine Guillermo Coria, who disposed of Nicolas Kiefer 6-1 6-1.
Top seed Andy Roddick demonstrated his growing maturity on clay by beating former French Open champion Alberto Costa 6-4 7-5.
ATHLETICS: South Africa's Olympic 10,000 metres silver medallist Elana Meyer has announced her retirement from athletics at the age of 38.
Meyer's defining moment came in 1992 when South Africa returned to Olympic competition in Barcelona after years of apartheid-induced international isolation. She won South Africa's first Olympic medal since 1960 behind Ethiopian Derartu Tulu, who out-sprinted her on the final lap of the 10,000 metres.
