Planet-F1

Kovalainen fined 5,000 Euros

Sunday 20th July 2008

Heikki Kovalainen was handed a €5000 fine by the German stewards for breaching refuelling regulations during qualifying.

According to stewards, McLaren did not follow the proper procedure when refuelling Kovalainen's car during the second qualifying segment and in doing so breached Article 29.2 of the sporting regulations.

"Car 23 was refuelled during Q2 using equipment that was not an FIA-approved race refuelling system, and therefore the engine should have been stopped during the refuelling process," the stewards said in a statement.

Kovalainen's third place on the Hockenheim grid is not affected by the penalty.