Ferrari Fined after Hockenheim Win

Ferrari have been fined $100,000 for breaching sporting regulations .

The Italian team has also been referred to the sport’s governing body, the FIA, after Felipe Massa slowed down to allow team-mate Fernando Alonso past to win.

However the result of the race, won by Alonso from Massa,will not change.

Ferrari continued to insist the incident was “a driver decision” and no instructions were given to Massa.

Team boss Stefano Domenicali said: “As for the stewards’ decision, given after the race, in the interests of the sport, we have decided not to go through a procedure of appealing against it, confident that the World Council will know how to evaluate the overall facts correctly.”

Ferrari have also been found guilty of breaching the sporting code, which states that “any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition, or to the interests of motorsport generally” can be punished.

The fine is the maximum the stewards are allowed to impose.

Team communications director Luca Colajanni said: “We didn’t give any instruction at all. I don’t think anything wrong has been done, or regulation breached.”

Colajanni added: “Fernando was slightly quicker at that stage, and we informed the drivers.”

Alonso passes Massa for German GP lead

Immediately following the race, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali had suggested he did not think the instruction apparently issued by Massa’s race engineer Rob Smedley would be an issue with the FIA.

Smedley’s exact words to Massa were: “OK, so, Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?”

Massa, who finished second behind race winner Alonso, did not reply, but a few seconds later slowed his car on the exit of Turn Six, allowing Alonso to easily overtake.

Smedley then came back on the radio and said: “Good lad. Just stick with him now. Sorry.” Then, at the end of the race Smedley told Massa he had been “very, very, very magnanimous” in his actions.

However, Smedley subsequently suggested to BBC Sport he had not been apologising for ordering Massa to let Alonso past.

He said: “I was pushing [Massa], because I was telling him that he’s faster and he had to get on with it, and I was giving him the gaps, and you’re always talking in 10ths of a second, and the apology is just because I’m sorry it’s happened, I’m sorry he’s got past, and there you go, but we’re still in the pound seats, we’re still in P2, so keep pushing and hopefully keep Sebastian [Vettel] behind you.”

At the post-race news conference, Massa himself carefully avoided giving a specific explanation of the incident.

Asked whether it had been a driving error on his part that had enabled Alonso to pass, the Brazilian said: “He passed me. The only thing I feel is we’re working for the team, and doing a very good job for the team, and that’s the most important thing.”

Asked if Alonso had been faster, Massa replied: “I think everybody saw, no?”