Andrea Mabellini's hopes of winning the ERC title have taken a blow after individuals connected to his entry were judged to have illegally recced a Rali Ceredigion stage
Photography by @World / Red Bull
Words by Alasdair Lindsay, Head of Digital Strategy
The race for the European Rally Championship drivers’ title has taken a dramatic twist before a single stage of Rali Ceredigion, the penultimate round of the season, has taken place.
Andrea Mabellini, who is 11 points behind championship leader Miko Marczyk heading to Wales, was given a two-minute penalty by stewards on Thursday night, as members of Mabellini’s team were identified as having driven through SS10/12.
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Rules concerning reconnaissance of special stages on FIA regional rallies state that “only with the express authorisation of the Clerk of the Course may any person connected with an entered crew travel on or over the route of a special stage of the rally (except on foot) from the publication of the rally Supplementary Regulations until that special stage is terminated, open for public traffic and will no longer be used within the rally.”
A report from Rali Ceredigion stewards stated that FIA safety delegate Benjamin Schmidt and the rally’s chief safety officer Sue Sanders stopped a car during the recce of SS10/12, with the occupants identifying themselves as engineers of Mabellini’s car.
When called to the stewards on Thursday evening, Mabellini and co-driver Virginia Lenzi – representing themselves as an entrant in the stewards’ room – put forward a claim that the two individuals aboard the vehicle stopped by Schmidt and Sanders had been terminated from their contracts representing his team the day before. His claim therefore was that their actions no longer related to Mabellini and his team’s participation in the rally.
Rali Ceredigion stewards rejected this explanation, highlighting issues they had with Mabellini’s timeline of events.
The stewards’ decision read: “They [Mabellini and Lenzi] provided the Stewards with messages sent to the organiser requesting a change of location in the service park because, in their words, they no longer had their former engineer and were forced to ask to be placed next to competitor No. 4 [Jakub Matulka] so that they could use the services of the same engineer used by competitor No. 4.
“The stewards verified that the messages shown by the representatives were not sent on Tuesday evening (when, according to the representatives, the contracts with the former team members/engineers were terminated), but on Wednesday, when the Stewards had already sent the summons to the hearing.”
Go ad-free with Club DirtFish | Subscriber login“The Stewards also asked the representatives how it happened that the summons to the hearing was sent to them electronically at 19:42, but they (the Stewards) had to wait almost two hours (till 21:35) for a response confirming receipt of the summons. And it was during those two hours that they (the Competitor’s representatives) sent requests to the organiser and official persons asking to change their place in the service park.
“There was no clear response.
“The hearing was suspended and resumed the next day. A summons was sent to Mr. Manuel Huguet Panella, who was driving the car at the time of the incident (when the car with two people was spotted on SS 10/12), in order to clarify more of the facts.
“Mr. Manuel Huguet Panella explained that his contract had been terminated on the Competitor’s initiative on Tuesday evening. He was unable to explain to the Stewards why, on Wednesday (the day after, in his words, his contract had been terminated), he told the FIA Safety Delegate and the CSO that he is still the team’s engineer.
Further, stewards then called the passenger in the car which had been stopped by the FIA Safety Delegate and CSO to make representations at the hearing.
“During the hearing, it was unequivocally confirmed that the latter person (Mr. Andre Barbosa) continues to represent and assist the team,” continued the stewards’ report.
“Although he explained to the Stewards that he is not the team’s actual engineer, as he has not yet completed his studies, he confirmed that he is the team representative who communicates with the organisers’ representatives and officials of the event via email. It was he who sent emails on Wednesday evening and later, providing the latest known information about when the team’s rally car would arrive, etc.
“He told the Stewards that he did not consider himself a representative of the team, that he was only assisting the team. In the Stewards’ opinion, it is clear that he is a representative of the team if he performs the functions of a team representative. It is irrelevant whether this is considered representation or assistance to the team. It is clear that he is a member of the team. His links with the team are completely obvious.”
The stewards’ decision continued: “When the Stewards asked what currently connects him to The Racing Factory (whose details are provided in the entry form of the Competitor car No. 2), Mr. Barbosa replied that there is no written contract. When asked by the Stewards how he could explain why he (along with his photo) is listed on The Racing Factory website alongside other members, he confirmed that he is acting on the basis of a verbal agreement.”
It was also highlighted by the stewards’ decision that regardless of the reason for the presence of the two individuals connected to Mabellini’s team on the stage during recce, it still represented a violation of the sporting regulations.
Mabellini declined to comment on the stewards’ decision when contacted by DirtFish.
Words:Alasdair Lindsay
Tags: Andrea Mabellini, ERC 2025, Rali Ceredigion, Rali Ceredigion 2025
Publish Date
September 4, 2025
DirtFish
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September 4, 2025
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