DEFINITION
A protest is a formal written complaint filed by a competing team against a judging decision, a technical inspection result or a competing car's eligibility. It triggers an official review by the stewards.
Protests must be filed within a fixed time window after the disputed event (usually 30 minutes) and are accompanied by a deposit fee that is refunded only if the protest is upheld.
HISTORY & ORIGIN
The protest mechanism comes straight from FIA Appendix L and is identical across circuit racing, rally and drift.
TECHNIQUE BREAKDOWN
Team principal completes the official protest form, attaches video evidence if available, pays the deposit and submits to race control. Stewards convene, review the evidence and issue a written decision.
PRO TIPS & COMMON MISTAKES
• Have video. A protest without video evidence almost always loses.
• Common mistake: protesting in anger right after the call. The 30-minute window is there for a reason: cool down first, file second.
The team filed a protest after the contact call cost them the Top 8 match.