• Red Bull Disqualification

Red Bull hearing set for April 14

ESPN Staff
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Daniel Ricciardo's fate will be decided after the Bahrain Grand Prix © Sutton Images
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Red Bull's appeal over the disqualification of Daniel Ricciardo from the Australian Grand Prix will be heard in Paris on April 14, meaning two races will pass before the issue is resolved.

Ricciardo crossed the line in second place at Albert Park but lost the position that evening, after it emerged Red Bull had ignored an FIA warning over the use of its own fuel-flow sensor equipment. The team officially lodged its appeal on Thursday morning just before the deadline.

At the core of Red Bull's protest is the belief the FIA's fuel-flow sensor equipment is unreliable. Its position had appeared to have been weakened last week as rivals Mercedes and Ferrari spoke out in favour of the FIA, while McLaren's Eric Boullier also said all teams but Red Bull followed the FIA's regulations despite sharing similar concerns.

Under FIA rules, teams cannot replace approved FIA equipment, but Red Bull still chose to on Ricciardo's car. All 21 other cars, including that of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, worked within the system.

The hearing will take place on the Monday before the Chinese Grand Prix, the fourth race of the season.

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