The Formula E team was fined.
The team of Jean-Éric Vergne (left) and Stoffel Vandoorne tried to circumvent the rules. PDO
The DS Penske team competing in the Electric Formula World Championship was fined 25,000 euros for a rude violation of the rules.
The Race – website DS Penske installed a device in the pit lane during the Portland race weekend, with which it could monitor the tire data of other teams in real time. The device worked with RFID technology, i.e. radio frequency remote identification.
The fraudsters were caught when a representative of the International Automobile Federation FIA noticed the garage staff installing the device and reported the matter.
The acquisition of tire-related information from the opponents has taken on an important role in electric formulas this season, when the teams have been ordered to use extremely hard and durable rubber compounds.
Various tire-related solutions have been attempted to be voyeuristic in the past, for example by photographing the cars of rival garages.
The RFID device was banned because it was said to offer its user a “huge, unfair advantage” over other stables. In addition, you may not install anything that does not belong on the pit straight.
When the rule violation was reported, the official document said that the RFID device somehow scanned the bar codes or serial numbers of the tires, but that mention was later removed.
Former F1 drivers drive in the DS Penske team Jean-Eric Vergne, 33, and Stoffel Vandoorne, 31. Vergne, a two-time series champion, is fifth in the series points. DS Penske is in the same place in the series of manufacturers.