When the team unloaded the Formula 4 in their garage the morning after, this car was put UNCHANGED on the team's own scales.
The vehicle was 100% identical to the situation of the previous day in the SAMS garage.
Patrick Schober sat in the car in his original outfit and it was weighed again.
The result was 572 kg, which is exactly the correct value and also corresponded with the value calculated by Peter Schober before the race.
His calculations are based on the fuel consumption in kg determined during the training, the ballast weight of 4.5 kg installed in the car and the remaining fuel quantity of 7.5 liters.
The car was also weighed without the pilot - like the day before at SAMS - and the result was 495 kg.
Both results show 10 kg more than the SAMS scale. In order to check the correct functioning of the team's own scale, it was subjected to several tests, using standard weights that were also tested on each of the 4 scales and displayed the value precisely to the gram.
In addition, the following week in Imola, the vehicle was placed on the scales there and, comparing these results with the results on the own scales, it was unequivocally determined that the team scales display correctly. After the Imola qualifying ALL participants were weighed, and the pilots including their equipment were weighed individually. Patrick Schober recorded 76 kg.
Peter Schober’s comment:
As a matter of fact, in Imola we were weighed and not disqualified, therefore, we officially rode with the correct weight, just like in EVERY race before and after. Pole position, fastest lap and victory in race 2 show that we don't need such "tricks" and, see above, we have never been sanctioned.
We also had to compete with our Hungarian opponents in Imola, and what happened there? Pole position, fastest lap and victory in race 2.
Also in Brno, two weeks after the incident at the Slovakia Ring and one week after Imola, the official scales confirmed the correctness of our own measurement results on the team's own scales.
In this case even spatially and temporally immediately parallel, because after using the official scales locally, we measured the racing car IMMEDIATELY and UNCHANGED on the team's own scales.
Only the SAMS scales at Slovakia Ring read10 kg less?
All of this leads to the assumption and the suspicion that the SAMS scales obviously indicated an incorrect value, which raises the question as to the time of the last official calibration.
After a polite request, SAMS refused to hand over any existing test documents for the scales used in its letter dated September 21, 2020.
Peter Schober’s comment:
I tried several times to contact SAMS or the steward(s) to clarify this mysterious matter. Unfortunately, SAMS does not seize this opportunity to clarify the matter and merely refers to the fact that the team had not appealed which is formally undisputed. Of course, this does not answer the question, nor the doubts about the measurement accuracy of their scales.
Why did we not file an appeal?
1. I immediately and repeatedly expressed my doubts about the accuracy of the measurement result but at that time I had to allow for the possibility that my calculations might have been wrong which - see above (see Imola and Brünn) - retrospectively has not been the case.
2. A technical delegate informed me that it is impossible to protest against the "official" scale.
3. An appeal would have led to the grotesque situation that those affected by the appeal would decide on the appeal and would therefore - at least theoretically - have to be able and willing to revoke a decision only a short time after they had taken it.
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