Daily News 19

Tag: Gabriel Bortoleto

  • Audi to Appeal Yuki Tsunoda’s Italian GP Result

    Audi to Appeal Yuki Tsunoda’s Italian GP Result

    The Audi Formula 1 team will proceed with its appeal against the stewards’ decision not to penalize Yuki Tsunoda for causing an extra formation lap at the Italian Grand Prix, Motorsport.com understands.

    Tsunoda’s Grid Alignment Triggers Aborted Start

    The incident occurred at the start of the Monza race when race director Rui Marques aborted the initial formation lap. Marques was not comfortable with the way the Japanese driver lined up in his grid box, angled towards the pit wall. The FIA race stewards reviewed the incident after the race but decided against issuing the customary stop-and-go penalty, which would have been converted into a 30-second time penalty.

    Regulation Article B5.9.4 Central to Dispute

    The appeal hinges on Article B5.9.4 of the F1 2026 sporting regulations, which states:

    “any driver who caused an extra formation lap, and is then able to start the, or any subsequent, extra formation lap must enter the pitlane at the end of the lap and must start… from the end of the pitlane.”

    Tsunoda’s Racing Bulls team argued that its driver was not out of his grid slot and did not impact his competitors. Race director Marques also explained that he acted out of an abundance of caution. Consequently, the team had not been notified by race control that Tsunoda was the cause of the extra formation lap, so it had no reason to instruct its driver to start from the pit exit.

    Stewards’ Interpretation and Audi’s Counter-Argument

    The stewards agreed with Racing Bulls’ interpretation of the rules. However, Audi promptly lodged an intention to appeal. The German manufacturer was directly affected by the non-penalty, as Gabriel Bortoleto finished 11th—one position behind Tsunoda—and would be promoted into a points-paying position if the verdict is overturned.

    By notifying the FIA of its intention to appeal, Audi secured a 96-hour window to study the rulebook, build a case, and decide whether to proceed. That window closes on Thursday night, and sources have now confirmed that Audi will follow through with the appeal procedure.

    Seeking Clarity for Future Precedent

    It is understood that Audi views the rulebook as unambiguous regarding penalties for causing an extra formation lap. The team argues that because the race director felt Tsunoda’s start position was sufficient reason to abort the start, Tsunoda should have been required to start from the pitlane regardless of the team’s notification status.

    Whether or not the appeal succeeds in overturning the decision, Audi is keen to obtain formal clarification from the race stewards to establish a clear precedent for future occasions. The FIA has yet to set a date for the appeal hearing.

  • Audi Lodges Intention to Appeal Yuki Tsunoda’s Italian GP Verdict

    Audi Lodges Intention to Appeal Yuki Tsunoda’s Italian GP Verdict

    Audi has formally notified the FIA of its intention to appeal the stewards’ decision not to penalize Yuki Tsunoda following the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The move centers on the application of Article B5.9.4 of the 2026 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations regarding extra formation lap procedures.

    Tsunoda’s Grid Position Triggers Extra Formation Lap

    The incident occurred during a Lap 6 restart. Amid confusion over the correct grid alignment, Tsunoda stopped in his designated 14th position but at an angle toward the inside wall. Race Director Rui Marques stated he was “not comfortable” with the Racing Bulls driver’s positioning and ordered an extra formation lap.

    Regulatory Dispute: Article B5.9.4

    The specific regulation at the heart of the protest states:

    “any driver who caused an extra formation lap, and is then able to start the, or any subsequent, extra formation lap must enter the Pit Lane at the end of the lap and must start … from the end of the Pit Lane.”

    Had this penalty been applied, Tsunoda would have been required to start from the pit lane and likely received a mandatory stop-and-go penalty for non-compliance. Instead, the Japanese driver escaped sanction and finished 10th, scoring the final championship point.

    Stewards’ Verdict: No Further Action

    The FIA stewards ruled that Tsunoda did not technically cause the extra formation lap. Their determination highlighted that the Race Director acted out of an abundance of caution, Tsunoda remained within his grid slot, and no other competitors were impacted. Crucially, Race Control did not inform Racing Bulls that their driver was deemed the cause, meaning the team had no basis to instruct Tsunoda to enter the pit lane.

    The stewards’ written decision explained:

    “The extra formation lap resulted from the Race Director’s assessment of the situation, rather than being directly caused by the driver of Car 22.
    “Further, Article B5.9.4 goes on to specify that if a driver who causes the extra formation lap and is then able to start the extra formation lap, he must enter the Pit Lane at the end of the lap and start from the Pit Lane. It is only then, if the driver fails to do this, that the mandatory penalty of a Stop and Go penalty is imposed.
    “In other words, the penalty is for failing to come into the Pit Lane and start from there. The penalty is not for causing the extra formation lap, if indeed, he caused the extra formation lap in the first place.
    “A critical issue emerges here, in that in order to comply with the requirement to enter and start from the Pit Lane, a driver would need to know that he was the cause of the extra formation lap.”

    The stewards added:

    “The team, based on the fact that the car was positioned within its starting grid box in compliance with the regulations, had, in our determination, no reason to instruct its driver to enter and start from the Pit Lane.
    “Accordingly, irrespective of whether or not the driver directly caused the extra formation lap, the team and driver were unaware that they were being considered as the cause, therefore we determine that we are unable to impose a Stop and Go penalty in this case, and decide to take no further action.”

    Audi’s Appeal Notification and Championship Implications

    The non-penalty directly affects Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto, who crossed the finish line in 11th place. A penalty for Tsunoda would have promoted Bortoleto into the points-paying 10th position.

    Audi released the following statement confirming the appeal notification:

    “Following the Italian Grand Prix, we raised a concern regarding the application of Article B5.9.4, which requires a driver who causes an extra formation lap to enter the pit lane and resume the race from there,” Audi said in a statement. “The Stewards issued a decision of No Further Action, and we have notified our intention to appeal. As the matter is now subject to the FIA appeal process, we will not comment further at this stage.”

    Appeal Process Timeline

    Under Article 15.4 of the FIA International Sporting Code, competitors have one hour after the stewards’ decision to notify an intention to appeal. This notification does not guarantee a full appeal will follow; it grants Audi a 96-hour window to further analyze the case and decide whether to proceed with a formal appeal hearing.

  • Audi F1 Power Unit Facility Branded “second to none” by Rob Smedley

    Audi F1 Power Unit Facility Branded “second to none” by Rob Smedley

    Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley has praised Audi’s Formula 1 power unit headquarters, describing the German manufacturer’s engine department as “second to none”.

    Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast with host Jake Humphrey and former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer, Smedley assessed the progress made across the F1 grid during the first half of the season.

    Audi has faced a steep learning curve since taking over the Sauber operation and entering Formula 1 as a works team. However, Smedley highlighted the scale and quality of the manufacturer’s investment in its powertrain programme.

    “Sauber, I mean, they were pretty desperate these last two or three years. They were just awful, there’s no other word for it,”

    the former engineer said.

    Szafnauer argued that Audi already owned the team at that stage, meaning it had strong financial backing and decent infrastructure. Smedley responded by pointing to the company’s facilities in Germany.

    “They’ve always had a very good wind tunnel, or have for a long time. But now, if you look at their facility in Germany, the engine facility, the power unit facility, that is second to none, and they’re still building and still going on it.

    Nico Hülkenberg, Audi

    Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

    “So, this is a huge project for them. Hinwil as a Formula 1 facility leaves maybe a little bit to be desired. But they’re expanding that, and there are plans of where they want to go with it. So, this is a really important project for them.”

    Audi retained Sauber’s 2025 driver line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. After 12 rounds of the 2026 season, the team is eighth in the constructors’ championship with 16 points.

    Bortoleto is 14th in the drivers’ standings with 10 points, while Hulkenberg is 15th with six points.

    The 13th round of the season, the Italian Grand Prix, will be held at Monza from 4-6 September.

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • Nico Rosberg Praises Nico Hulkenberg’s “spectacular” Dutch GP Save

    Nico Rosberg Praises Nico Hulkenberg’s “spectacular” Dutch GP Save

    2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg praised Nico Hulkenberg’s “spectacular” reaction after the Audi driver narrowly avoided a high-speed collision with team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto on the opening lap of the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Although the rain had stopped before the race began, several wet patches remained on the circuit. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lost control on a damp section while navigating the banked final corner and crashed into the barriers. Bortoleto suffered a similar incident but managed to continue after spinning 360 degrees.

    As Bortoleto spun across the track in front of him, Hulkenberg was briefly engulfed in tyre smoke. When the smoke cleared, he found his Audi team-mate directly ahead.

    Speaking during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, Rosberg highlighted how the 39-year-old avoided a potentially major crash.

    “It just shows how quick those drivers react. Hulkenberg went in; he knew more or less where Bortoleto was, where his trajectory was going,” Rosberg explained. “He has a white wall, but then at the last moment sees him and bam, reacts and avoids [a crash].

    “It was a spectacular reaction from Hulkenberg, so I don’t think it was just luck. I think there was also some skill there to avoid that big crash.”

    Hulkenberg went on to secure his best result of the season by finishing eighth, earning four valuable points for Audi. Bortoleto recovered from his spin to take 13th place.

    Hulkenberg explains Dutch Grand Prix near-miss

    The German driver later described the incident while speaking to Sky Sports Germany.

    “Yeah, it was tricky and dicey. Naturally, I saw it all happen almost in slow motion at that speed.

    “But Turn 14 was simply still completely wet and, on slicks, it’s a bit of a thriller, of course. I saw him lose the car—like I said, slow motion and at speed. But then you don’t know exactly whether he’s going to slide up or slide down, what’s going to happen.

    “And it was clear to me: hey, I have to try to somehow get around this. On top of that, there was all the debris and the smoke from Max ahead. So it looked wild and spectacular. I slowed down and tried to wait as long as possible before deciding which way to go. A sheet of paper would have fitted between us, but not much more.”

    Nico Hülkenberg, Audi

    Source: www.motorsport.com