The Toyota F1 team has decided not to pursue its appeal against Ralf Schumacher's post-race penalty at the recent San Marino Grand Prix, claiming that its evidence cannot prove right or wrong. Schumacher had 25 seconds added to his race time at the end of the Imola event, having been adjudged to have made an overly-aggressive exit from his final pit-stop, impeding Williams rival Nick Heidfeld in the process.
Heidfeld gained the final point following Schumacher's penalty, which dropped the Toyota driver from eighth to eleventh in the official results.
Toyota lodged an appeal after the race because it wanted the opportunity to undertake a detailed analysis of the incident. However, after an exhaustive review of the available data, the team feels that the evidence is not conclusive and has decided not to take the matter further. The matter was due to be heard by the appeals court next Tuesday.
The team will, however, work together with the FIA and the other teams to further clarify what constitutes the 'safe release' of the car following a pit-stop, beginning at the next team managers' meeting.
