MP Motorsports, racing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) series, were hit with a suspended fine o꧂f €2,000 (£1,700).

A clash between MP driver Sami Meguetounꦓif and Van Amersfoort’✱s Joshua Dufek at Spa last weekend caused the furore.

The F🎉IA Stewards deemed it a “r🐼acing incident” and communicated their decision in a WhatsApp group that includes team members.

But the Stewards noted the response: “After stewards decision 17 (involving an MP Motorsport driver) was posted on the Notice Board WhatsApp group, a team member of MP Motorsport displayed an emoticon symbolising ‘a swirl of brown poo’ and ꧅removed it after a few minutes, to replace it with a new emoticon symbolising ‘a clown’ and removed it after a few minutes.”

Th🐲e Stewards rul🦩ed it to be a breach of sporting regulations.

“Any behaviou💜r non-compliant with the spirit of the Championship, included breach of morals and sporting ethics, nuisance to the higher interests of motor sport, moral or material loss suffered by officials on the part of a ꩲmember of a team/competitor, a driver, or his entourage, will be the subject of sanctions,” they noted.

“The stewards determined that aforementioned comments were not appropriate as it was disrespectful of 🍎the decision taken.”

The f🎃ine is suspended until the end of the year and must be paid if there is a repeat offence.

The MP Motorsports team member who posted the emojis has b♔een removed from the WhatsApp group.