We have seen a vast variety of penalties and fines in motorsport. Touching a rear wing, breaching seatbelt rules and damaging the weighbridge are just a few examples.
But weeing behind a post? That’s probably not one we’ve ever seen before.
However, this is exactly the fate that befell Robert Renauer at the Asian Le Mans series recently as he was caught out for his public indiscretion.
The German was contesting the first four-hour race of the final leg in the Asian Le Mans series, having scored points on two occasions at the Dubai Autodrome earlier in the month.
The opening race was red flagged in Abu Dhabi, and Renauer had a sudden urge to go to the toilet without enough time to head to the lavatory.
He therefore took the next best option, which was to go behind a post, hope no one saw him, and relieve himself before the session got back underway.
Two of those eventualities worked out, but he was spotted by a female marshal, who then had to grab a male colleague to ask Renauer to desist.
Asian Le Mans released a statement confirming the transgression.
“The Stewards, having received a report from the EMSO Chief Marshal in regards to an incident during the period of the red flag while cars were parked at the grid, have interviewed the Marshal involved, summoned and heard the Competitor and the Driver, reviewed the matter, determined a breach of the regulations has been committed by the competitor,” it read.
“During the red flag period when all the cars where lined up at the red flag line on the grid, the driver was witnessed by a track marshal urinating behind a post,” they added.
“As it was a female marshal who noticed, she immediately called the attention of a male marshal to discourage the action.”
As a result, the 36-year-old has been fined 10,000 euros, with another 10,000 euro fine suspended pending a “submission to the Panel of Stewards of a written apology addressed to the Emirates Motorsports Organisation. Failure of which, will require payment of the suspended portion of the penalty.”
They gave a damming indictment of Renauer’s actions, labelling his transgression “ extremely disrespectful.”
“In certain cultures where acts or deeds vary in levels of acceptance, the Panel of Stewards recognise that in the United Arab Emirates, such an act is extremely disrespectful and is a criminal offence.”
Renauer will therefore wait to see exactly how badly his condemnable actions will be punished, but he will almost certainly be the answer to a trivia question a few years down the line as for what bizarre reason a driver was fined at the Asian Le Mans series!