Thread: Citroen in shock

Each of the three Citroen C4 drivers that finished the rally was handed a one minute penalty after post-event scrutineers discovered their cars were fitted with non-homologated anti-roll bar links. The Citroen team was also reprimanded for using the incorrect parts.
At the time Quesnel said he accepted the decision and apologised to team leader Sebastien Loeb for the technical irregularity which had cost him the rally win.
Today, responding to a suggestion from Eurosport journalist Stéphane Vrignaud that the public felt the penalties handed out in Australia were too severe, Quesnel said: "The public is right. As for us, we are still in shock. An administrative error has been punished by a sporting penalty and I do not understand why."

The error may have been an administrative error in choosing the wrong parts and therefore not the fault of the driver. But the driver is a part of the team and the team takes the penalty.