Eddie Irvine was last night sweating on the outcome of his Italian team's appeal against their disqualification in the Malaysian Grand Prix after the FIA's International Court of Appeal yesterday probed their case at its Paris headquarters.
After nearly four hours of intense discussions Irvine left the hearing at the Automobile Club de France based at Place de la Concorde where five judges had heard his team's appeal. The decision will be announced this morning.
"I don't know whether it went well or badly. Let's just wait until tomorrow," said the Irishman yesterday, his face expressionless.
Irvine flew to France after breaking off a holiday in Macao for the hearing.
It will be up to the five judges to decide whether Ferrari's insistence that the illegal deflector `barge boards', which when narrowed can cut down wind resistance, did not improve performance merits the reinstatement of race points for Irvine and Schumacher.
The decision of the FIA court, the highest judicial body of the sport's governing body, is due to be announced this morning. All five judges are independent of any bodies involved in motor racing but each has a background in the sport.
If the appeal succeeds, the outcome of the drivers' championship will go to the final race of the season next weekend in Suzuka, Japan, with Irvine going into the race with a four-point lead over Mika Hakkinen.
After the hearing, Ferrari's Swiss lawyers Jean-Pierre Martel and Henri Peter gave a brief account of the day's proceedings - but would not be drawn on the arguments on which they had built their case.
"We cannot comment on the legal side of today's discussions but we calmly dealt with all the issues we wanted to address," Peter said yesterday.
Peter said Irvine's attendance, which came as a surprise to observers, showed his natural desire to fight his corner.
"It is not surprising he came given the importance of the decision and he is the main person concerned by it. He came to enable the tribunal to ask him for his view and as a mark of respect towards the court," said Peter, though he was unwilling to reveal what part Irvine had played at the hearing.
Martel said yesterday that "we had a fair and in depth hearing. But Ferrari does not want us to comment on what the court is thinking. The decision will come tomorrow."
Peter insisted that Ferrari could only abide by the final decision.
"Ferrari has always had respect for the court - whatever the decision."
The omens are not good for Ferrari given that McLaren lost an appeal in 1997 after Hakkinen drove with fuel which did not conform to the race standard at the Belgian Grand Prix, which used a specific batch of fuel, even though his supply was still technically legal.
