SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Formula One stewards fined Williams 50,000 euros ($54,070) on Saturday, with 40,000 euros suspended, for a breach of the rules concerning on-car cameras at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Stewards said the former champions failed to provide video from the forward and rear-facing wireless cameras within the required timeframe.
"The reason for the failure was apparently the team’s belief that the cameras would come fitted with SD cards supplied by the (governing) FIA. They did not check if they did," they said in a statement.
"When the absence of the SD cards was discovered after the (Friday practice) session, the team did not report the fact of their failure to install the SD cards to the Technical Delegate."
The video images were required as part of a new technical directive (TD) tightening the regulations on the flexibility of rear wings.
"For avoidance of doubt, there was no suggestion that the wings were not in compliance with the bodywork flexibility requirements," the stewards said.
Williams acknowledged their failure and said it was down to a miscommunication.
"We have no concerns over the legality of our wing. It is the same wing we ran in Melbourne, is fully compliant and we did not have to make any adjustments further to the issuing of the new TD," they added.
"Yesterday’s issue was procedural, and we are confident that we will provide all future recordings without issue."
($1 = 0.9247 euros)
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Peter Rutherford)
