Saturday, October 23, 1999 Published at 18:02 GMT 19:02 UK
Ferrari wins F1 appeal
The results from the Malaysian Grand Prix stand
Ferrari has won its appeal against disqualification from the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The ruling means the Formula One world championship will be decided in the final race of the season in Japan on 31 October.
Ferrari's Eddie Irvine goes into the race with a four-point lead after the court ruled he should regain the first place and 10 points he lost when he was disqualified from last Sunday's race in Sepang.
His team-mate Michael Schumacher was restored to second.
Hakkinen gained what would have been an unassailable lead when the two Ferrari drivers were disqualified after a post-race car inspection uncovered a discrepancy over the size of aerodynamic aids on their cars.
However the FIA's five-member International Court of Appeal ruled that the dimension in question fell within an allowable 5mm tolerance.
High price for McLaren
Hakkinen seemed to accept the decision, saying: "The events of the last week are now behind us and I am - as always - focusing on the next race."
"I will do my best to win the race and the world championship."
He said: "A way has been found ... to provide a reason for the appeal to be upheld.
"Everybody wants to have an exciting race in Japan, but I think that the price we have paid is too great."
Irvine said his team had been "totally exonerated".
"I didn't want people to think that it was political, it was business, or any of that sort of carry on that got us reinstated," he said.
Ferrari's chairman Luca di Montezemolo said the ruling "acknowledged that our cars were perfectly normal".
He said the decision also "silenced many unfair interpretations which displeased us so much".
Dozens of Ferrari fans braved the rain to celebrate in front of the company's headquarters in the northern Italian town of Maranello.
Commercial consideration denied
Some correspondents questioned whether the court had ruled in favour of Ferrari simply to boost public interest in the final race of the season.
He said that at the hearing the FIA's technical delegate had measured the "turning vane" and admitted it fell within the tolerance in every respect.
"No judge would have any alternative but to make the finding they found," he added.
Earlier, FIA vice-president Bernie Ecclestone said the disqualification had been "nonsense".
At the news conference, Mr Mosley said Mr Ecclestone had no power over rule enforcement and that the judges would not have paid any attention to his views despite his financial power in the sport.
Mr Dennis said he was convinced that Ferrari had made an honest mistake over the size of the aerodynamic aids.
But he added: "I think it is slightly hypocritical to say there is no performance influence because that is a very aerodynamically critical area on the car."
Almost two-thirds of contributors to BBC News Online's Talking Point disagreed with the disqualification.
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