A one-race ban that would prevent Spaniard Fernando Alonso from competing in his home Valencia Grand Prix this weekend is "excessive and unfair", his Renault Formula One team argued on Monday.
Renault lawyer Ali Malek told four judges at a hearing of the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA)'s court of appeal in Paris that the sanction against the Formula One team should not have been made.
"This case does not deserve more than a reprimand," he added, saying that such a penalty should be reserved for serious offences such as cheating and conscious wrongdoing.
"Was there conscious wrongdoing from Renault? There was none whatsoever," he said.
A decision was expected later on Monday or Tuesday.
Stewards had imposed the suspension on the team after a wheel came off the double world champion's car and bounced away to the side of the track during last month's Hungarian Grand Prix.
The incident came a day after Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa had been seriously injured by bouncing debris in qualifying.
It also followed the death of Henry Surtees in a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch after the 18-year-old Briton, son of 1964 world champion John, was hit on the head by a loose wheel.
Renault were accused of releasing Alonso's car after a pit stop while knowing that there was a problem with his right front wheel. The team denied the accusation.
"The only persons who knew...were the two mechanics," said Malek. "Nobody on the pitwall knew there was a problem and the driver did not know either.
"There was a series of unfortunate events but no conscious wrongdoing."
Renault said the mechanics were not able to inform colleagues on the pitwall before the wheel bounced off the car.
Paul Harris, representing the FIA, said there was "no doubt whatsoever this was a serious incident."
"The car should not have been left out on the track... (The mechanics) are employed by the team and their knowledge must be attributed to the team," he added.
"Renault cannot simply rely on their flawed procedures to say they could not communicate... Two wrongs don't make a right."
Renault said their suspension would also have "severe consequences" for Valencia organisers as well as hitting fans who had bought tickets.
"I've been optimistic ever since we got the penalty. We feel the penalty is unjust. We admit we did some stuff wrong, but we don't think that the penalty fits the crime," team manager Steve Nielsen told reporters after the hearing.