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Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting says that Red Bull should have followed the FIA's advice over Daniel Ricciardo's fuel flow rate during the Australian Grand Prix.
Ricciardo finished in second place on his Red Bull debut but the stewards discovered that his RB10 had exceeded the 100kg/hr fuel flow rate during the race.
Ricciardo was consequently excluded from the race.
Red Bull will appeal the decision with team principal Christian Horner insisting that Ricciardo remained within the limit across the duration of the weekend.
Red Bull was warned during Sunday's Australian Grand Prix that Ricciardo was in breach of the regulations.
"We advised them twice after qualifying and five laps into the race to take the necessary steps to comply with the regulations," Whiting told The Times. "They chose to use their own calculations to show they complied. If they had followed the advice we gave them at the time, we would not have had a problem and they would not have been penalised.
"If their sensor was kaput, then things would have been different. It is a human thing because they have the ability to do what was needed to comply."
The company which supplies the fuel-flow meters, Gill Sensors, says it has the backing of the FIA.
"Following the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, the FIA have provided Gill Sensors with positive feedback on the performance of the fuel-flow meter, confirming their confidence in the development and stating the meters meet the FIA's accuracy specification," the company said in a statement.
"The meter development included an extensive testing programme, which involved liaising with many of the F1 teams for their valuable feedback on meter design and functionality. Meter calibration is handled by the FIA's third-party calibration company.
"The meters utilise ultrasonic technology which was selected for its resilience in extreme operating conditions."
