Audi Sport Team Joest have effectively lost one engine allotment unit this season after electronic engine seals failed to read the engine details of the number 7 Audi eTron Quattro of Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer during the 24 Hours of Le mans last month.
Seals are required under WEC regulations for the FIA to audit engine usage in the LMP1 category, with entrants limited to five units per season, however neither the FIA’s nor Audi’s equipment could read the seals on the number 7 Audi.
The issue first reared its head on the Saturday morning pre-race warm-up after members of Audi’s crew switched the position of the seals. Audi’s head of LMP1 Chris Reinke acknowledging to DailySportsCar.com, that the issue was down to human error.
“We have investigated the matter,” said Reinke, “and are sure it will not happen again. It was the two seals on the #7 car that failed; the other cars were not affected.”
After attending a hearing in Paris on the 23rd of June, FIA stewards decided to penalise Audi Sport Team Joest by administering a €50,000 fine – with Audi ordered to pay the costs of the hearing. Furtheremore, the engine used in the number 7 car at Le Mans has been classified as Audi’s fourth engine of the season.
Audi did not present a case in order to refute the claims, merely to present their case to the FIA, explaining the circumstances that resulted in the transgression.
“We used the same engine for the six-hour races at Silverstone and Spa,” said Reinke. “At Le Mans we used the same physical engine for practice, qualifying and the race, but, due to the seal failures and the resultant penalty, we have to consider that as the second, third and fourth engines of the season.”
“Of course, we’ll be evaluating whether we can use the engines that we used at Silverstone, Spa and at Le Mans again in the remaining races of the season, that’s certainly an option, but it will be a challenge.”
Audi’s ‘ghost’ engine penalty
Image: Audi Motorsport.com