Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi were both stripped of points finishes in Melbourne after their cars were found to breach F1 rules.
Team to appeal after car's rear wing found to be in breach of technical regulations
Sauber drivers Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi were both stripped of points finishes in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday after their cars were found to be in breach of technical rules.
In a statement, the FIA said the breach of articles 3.10.1 and 3.10.2 of the technical regulations related to the rear wing of the Sauber's C30 chassis. They team later said that they would appeal.
Perez had celebrated what appeared a fairytale debut in Formula One after finishing seventh on the track in Melbourne's Albert Park, one place ahead of team-mate Kobayashi.
The Mexican rookie gambled on making just a single pit stop to change his Pirelli tyres, whose levels of wear pre-season had led to suggestions that at least three stops would be needed.
Perez, 21, would have become the first Mexican to score world championship points in 30 years.
Japan's Kobayashi had also impressed for the Swiss-based team on a day principal Peter Sauber had described as a "dream start to the season".
"This is a very surprising and disappointing result," Sauber's technical director James Key said later.
"It appears that there is a question over the top surface of the uppermost rear wing element; this area is not the working surface of the component and therefore relatively unimportant to its function.
"Certainly this has not lead to any performance advantage. We are checking the design of the parts now to better understand the situation and we intend to appeal the decision made by the stewards."
Pending the result of the appeal, their disqualification would promote Ferrari's Felipe Massa from ninth to seventh and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi from tenth to eighth.
Force India's Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta would be promoted to ninth and 10th respectively, with the Scot thrilled at the prospect of scoring a point in his first grand prix.
"If the news is true then this is a mega result for me and the team," said di Resta.
"It is exactly what we set out to achieve and I am delighted to have scored my first point in my debut race."
