Neuville was excluded from the event last weekend, where he finished eighth, after stewards determined a “person connected with the crew travelled on or over the route of two Special Stages, after reconnaissance, without authorisation” following the official pre-event recce.
Article 35.4.2 of the FIA World Rally Championship states: “After the publication of the Supplementary Regulations, only with the express authorisation of the Clerk of the Course and the FIA Rally Department may any person connected with an entered crew travel on or over the route of a special stage of the rally (except on foot). This rule shall apply until that special stage is terminated, open for public traffic and will no longer be used within the rally.”
Neuville’s co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe claimed in the stewards report that a person was sent to the stage to understand the “ambiguity to what constitutes corner-cutting and the anti-cutting measures that the organiser was perceived to have introduced following reconnaissance.”
Neuville took full responsibility and apologised for his lapse in judgement.
The FIA has issued a statement to Autosport to clarify its position on the matter.
“We are aware that there have been circumstances in which competitors have expressed their preference for this rule to be changed,” read a statement from FIA Road Sport Director Andrew Wheatley.
“Yet, the majority of competitors in the WRC don’t have the resources or the will to send personal representatives to inspect the stages before or after the official recce.
Source: Autosport