Daniel Abt drove to his first FIA Formula E Championship victory on the road in Hong Kong’s second race of the weekend, but was disqualified after a mismatch between part numbers (barcodes) in the technical inspection of the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler car.
While Audi had initially planned to appeal the disqualification, the manufacturer has confirmed Monday it won’t do so. This leaves Felix Rosenqvist the race winner, having been promoted to the top spot after recovering back to second following a first lap spin from pole.
Abt turned 25 on Sunday and would have had a fantastic birthday present, only to lose it after the race for something out of his control.
We will not appeal. Win is gone 🏆❌ but memories stay! pic.twitter.com/bYEU2pQ2xg
— Daniel Abt (@Daniel_Abt) December 4, 2017
“We took the time to carefully review all documents and processes,” said team principal Allan McNish. “We gained no advantage as a result of the administrative error and all parts fully complied to homologation and the technical regulations at all times.
“Still, we accept the decision of the FIA and fully back the technical passport regulations. Our team made a small mistake with big consequences that we own up to, unfortunately that deprived Daniel of his very deserved victory of which we can only apologize for. I am sure we will see him on the podium again soon.”