Daily News 19

Tag: Racing Bulls

  • 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.

  • Yuki Tsunoda Retains Italian GP Point After Avoiding Sanction

    Yuki Tsunoda Retains Italian GP Point After Avoiding Sanction

    Yuki Tsunoda Escapes Penalty After Monza Grid Position Investigation

    Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda has avoided punishment following a stewards’ investigation into his grid positioning during an early restart at the Italian Grand Prix. The Japanese driver retained his tenth-place finish and first point of the season after officials accepted the team’s explanation that he did not gain an advantage.

    Incident During Lap 6 Restart

    The incident occurred during a lap 6 restart triggered by a red flag for Charles Leclerc’s accident on lap 2. As Tsunoda took up 14th position on the grid, race control noted he appeared to park outside his designated grid box. Officials responded by adding an extra formation lap, and the stewards summoned Tsunoda and team representatives after the race for an alleged breach of Article B5.9.4 of the FIA Formula 1 Regulations regarding start procedure infringement.

    The investigation put Tsunoda’s hard-earned point at risk. The driver had returned to Racing Bulls this weekend, deputising for Liam Lawson after Lawson moved to Red Bull to replace the injured Isack Hadjar. Tsunoda had lost his regular seat at the end of the 2024 season and was serving as Red Bull’s reserve driver prior to this call-up.

    Tsunoda Explains Grid Confusion

    Tsunoda clarified that confusion over his starting position caused the unusual angle of his car on the grid.

    “I was a bit confused starting between 14th and 15th,” Tsunoda explained. “In my view, I didn’t really gain the position before the red flag. I thought I was 15th. But at least I parked behind the box, pretty far, so I don’t think I gained any advantage for that.”

    According to Tsunoda, he initially prepared to line up 15th on the left-hand side of the grid before realising he needed to cross the track to the right-hand side for 14th position.

    Stewards Accept Team Arguments

    The stewards agreed with Racing Bulls that Tsunoda was not in a false start position and that no other competitors were impacted. They determined the extra formation lap was a discretionary decision by the race director rather than a direct consequence of Tsunoda’s actions, noting the team had not been informed they were considered the cause.

    FIA Verdict Details

    The stewards’ full decision outlined several key findings verified through multiple camera angles:

    Car 22 approached the grid initially heading for the left hand side of the grid, then realising he was headed for the wrong grid position, the driver changed direction and positioned his car in the correct grid box and in the correct position within the grid box. This was verified by the Stewards with video from multiple camera angles.

    The Race Director, in evidence, stated that it was his call, based on the behaviour of the car on the approach to the grid box, to commence an extra formation lap. He stated he was not comfortable starting the race with the car in that position.

    The team representative presented five arguments:

    The team representative stated that:
    (i) The car was not in a “false start” position – referring to Article B5.1.1c of the F1 regulations, because no contact patch of the front tyres was outside the grid box lines (front and side)
    (ii) At the Drivers meeting, the Race Director advised that for the start, the track limits were the pit walls and in this case, even though the car was pointed to the right, it had at least 4 metres of space to move off from the start
    (iii) No other driver was impacted by the position of Car 22
    (iv) The driver of Car 22 was not the “cause” of the extra formation lap.
    (v) At no time was the team advised that Race Control considered Car 22 to be the cause of the extra formation lap.

    Regulatory Technicality Prevents Penalty

    The stewards analysed Article B5.9.4, which specifies that a driver who causes an extra formation lap must enter the pit lane at the end of that lap and start from there. A stop-and-go penalty applies only if the driver fails to comply with that requirement.

    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 emerged regarding driver awareness. The team cited precedents where extra formation laps were ordered for extraneous reasons such as photographer positioning.

    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 team representative quoted situations where extra formation laps have been commenced due to extraneous circumstances such as the position of a photographer etc. In this case, no message was sent to the team or the driver, advising them that they were the cause of the extra formation lap.

    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.

    No Further Action Taken

    The stewards concluded they could not impose a penalty because the team and driver were unaware they were considered the cause of the extra formation lap. They acknowledged the race director acted in good faith and suggested the FIA consider implementing a formal notification process for future incidents.

    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.

    We note that the Race Director acted in good faith and out of an abundance of caution in ordering an extra formation lap. We further note that the FIA might wish to consider implementing a process to advise teams and drivers if they are considered to be the cause of an extra formation lap, so that they are then able to comply with the requirements of Article B5.9.4.

    Tsunoda’s tenth-place finish stands, securing his first championship point of the 2025 season in just his second grand prix appearance for Racing Bulls.

  • Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda Summoned for Restart Infringement, Risks Losing F1 Point

    Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda Summoned for Restart Infringement, Risks Losing F1 Point

    Yuki Tsunoda is under investigation by the FIA race stewards following a potential grid-box infringement during the restart at the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.

    Restart Incident Triggers Stewards’ Inquiry

    The investigation centers on the lap 6 restart, which followed a red flag period triggered by Charles Leclerc’s accident on lap 2. As Tsunoda lined up for 14th position on the grid at Monza, he appeared to stop outside his designated grid box. Race control flagged the potential breach immediately, but the stewards deferred their decision until after the race.

    Tsunoda and his Racing Bulls team have been summoned to the stewards’ office for an alleged breach of Article B5.9.4 of the FIA F1 Regulations – Start Procedure infringement at 15:41.

    Strong Race Result Amid Uncertainty

    Despite the looming investigation, Tsunoda delivered a strong performance at Monza’s high-speed circuit. He secured his first championship point of the season with a tenth-place finish in just his second Grand Prix appearance of the campaign. His Racing Bulls teammate, Arvid Lindblad, finished eighth after an extended slipstreaming battle in the competitive midfield.

    Tsunoda Returns as Reserve Driver Stand-In

    Tsunoda lost his full-time race seat at the end of the previous season and moved into a Red Bull reserve driver role. He returned to his former team, Racing Bulls, to deputize for Liam Lawson. Lawson was promoted to Red Bull Racing to replace the injured Isack Hadjar.

    Driver’s Perspective on the Grid Incident

    Speaking after the race, Tsunoda offered his view on the restart procedure.

    “I was a bit confused starting between 14 and 15,” Tsunoda explained. “In my view, I didn’t really gain the position before the red flag. I thought I was 15th.

    “But at least I parked behind the box, pretty far, so I don’t think I gained any advantage for that. So let’s see. I hope everything is okay.”

  • Naomi Schiff Points to Red Bull Advantage Following Dutch GP Driver Change

    Naomi Schiff Points to Red Bull Advantage Following Dutch GP Driver Change

    Red Bull’s driver swap for the Dutch Grand Prix has reignited discussion about the advantages of Formula 1 teams operating under shared ownership.

    After Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist fracture before the race weekend at Zandvoort, the Milton Keynes-based team promoted Liam Lawson from sister outfit Racing Bulls. Lawson joined Max Verstappen for the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Racing Bulls then promoted reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda to partner rookie Arvid Lindblad, filling the vacancy created by Lawson’s move.

    Red Bull benefits from shared driver pool

    Former W Series driver and Sky Sports analyst Naomi Schiff said Red Bull benefited from promoting a driver already familiar with the 2026-specification cars, rather than relying on a reserve driver with less experience in the machinery.

    “It seems to be a little bit of an advantage to be able to put someone in who’s already currently driving these cars and I guess Ferrari is the only other team that would probably call on Oliver Bearman,” Schiff explained during an episode of the Up To Speed podcast after co-host and former F1 driver David Coulthard claimed there is a “strength and depth” in Red Bull in that it can pull in drivers from its sister team.

    “Whereas Mercedes have Fred Vesti, who travels with them to most of the races, so it would most likely be him. I do think it works out to be an advantage for Liam, but I think that doesn’t take away from the fact that that was probably a daunting environment for him to step back into, although it does look very different than what it was, what he left behind.”

    Lawson finished the Dutch Grand Prix in seventh place, scoring six points for Red Bull. The team has not yet confirmed whether Hadjar will return for the Italian Grand Prix.

  • Red Bull Gives F1 Test to Protégé While Assessing Racing Bulls Driver Lineup

    Red Bull Gives F1 Test to Protégé While Assessing Racing Bulls Driver Lineup

    Red Bull has given Nikola Tsolov his first Formula 1 test as it evaluates its options for the 2027 Racing Bulls driver line-up.

    The current Formula 2 championship leader completed 690 kilometres in a VCARB 02, Racing Bulls’ 2025 F1 car, at Imola on Thursday. The session was part of the team’s testing of previous cars (TPC) programme and gave Red Bull its first opportunity to assess Tsolov in a grand prix car.

    Tsolov makes first F1 test appearance

    “Today was a really positive step for Nikola,” Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane said. “He adapted quickly to the car and showed the composure you want to see from a driver taking on an F1 car for the first time.

    “The outing is part of the ongoing development plan the team runs for its junior drivers, giving them the tools, the mileage, and the environment to develop. We’ve seen time and again what this pathway can produce, and it’s days like today that are part of how we keep building it.”

    Tsolov is aiming to become the first Bulgarian Formula 1 driver and graduate from Formula 2 over the winter. However, he faces strong competition to replace either Liam Lawson or Arvid Lindblad in the Racing Bulls line-up.

    “First TPC day in a Formula 1 car done, and I’m super happy with how today went,” Tsolov said. “I really enjoyed every lap and it’s difficult to put into words what it means to finally get this opportunity.

    Nikola Tsolov, Racing Bulls

    Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

    “A massive thank you to VCARB and the Red Bull Junior Team for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. It’s something I’ve been working towards my whole life, so to finally experience it is pretty incredible.

    “I still don’t think I’ve fully comprehended what we achieved today, but I enjoyed every lap and hopefully I’ll get the chance to add some more kilometres soon.”

    Lawson and Iwasa complete Red Bull tyre test

    Earlier this week, Lawson returned to action for Red Bull at a Pirelli tyre test after standing in for the injured Isack Hadjar at the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Lawson drove for Red Bull on Wednesday before handing over to reigning Super Formula champion and Racing Bulls test and reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa on Thursday. The New Zealander completed 116 laps with a best lap time of 1m22.297s, while Iwasa completed 117 laps with a best lap time of 1m23.414s.

    Audi and McLaren joined Red Bull at the Pirelli test at the venue of the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix. McLaren ran on both Wednesday and Thursday, while Audi participated only on Thursday.

    Oscar Piastri completed 93 laps with a best time of 1m21.358s on Wednesday, while Dutch Grand Prix winner Lando Norris posted 115 laps with a best time of 1m21.899s. Nico Hulkenberg completed 121 laps for Audi on Thursday, setting a best lap time of 1m24.012s.

    The Pirelli tyre test focused on developing the three hardest compounds in the 2027 range.

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • Alex Brundle Calls Arvid Lindblad’s Dutch GP Penalty “Harsh”

    Alex Brundle Calls Arvid Lindblad’s Dutch GP Penalty “Harsh”

    F1 TV analyst Alex Brundle has described Arvid Lindblad’s drive-through penalty at the Dutch Grand Prix as “harsh”, arguing that drivers should not be punished for making a secondary overtake while taking evasive action.

    Why Arvid Lindblad was penalised at Zandvoort

    The race at Zandvoort was disrupted on the opening lap when home favourite Max Verstappen crashed at Turn 14. Lindblad was one of the drivers behind the four-time world champion and, while avoiding the incident, passed Pierre Gasly’s Alpine on the approach to Turn 1.

    The stewards classified the move as a yellow-flag infringement and issued the Racing Bulls rookie a costly drive-through penalty.

    Speaking on F1 TV’s post-race show, Brundle sympathised with Lindblad’s position.

    “I think it is harsh. The accepted way to go about it as a driver is if you’re effectively avoiding the crash, you avoid the crash and you do everything that you can to make sure that you don’t become part of the accident,” Brundle explained.

    “It’s difficult to then add in extra things that the drivers have to be aware of during an incident to make sure that they don’t then pass a car secondarily to that.

    “It depends how far you are away from the incident. But if you haven’t actually passed a yellow flag and if you’re actually trying to get around the incident, I think it’s harsh then to penalise you for passing another driver while you’re actually taking evasive action.”

    Lindblad explains Dutch Grand Prix incident

    The 19-year-old Racing Bulls driver discussed the incident from his perspective after the race.

    “Max lost it, then he came across the track, and there was debris everywhere. I couldn’t really see anything,” Lindblad told F1 TV. “I tried to avoid making contact. I think I almost hit one of his tyres. Then I was just holding my line and trying to just go straight to not have any incident or anything.

    “Then I passed Pierre into Turn 1. But I didn’t see any flags or anything. So it was a bit of a shame. I also think the penalty is a bit harsh. I think we can all be honest. It took me out of the race, basically. It was quite extreme for such an incident, but fine. It is what it is.”

    Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

    Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • Yuki Tsunoda Pitches F1 Return With “Call me, please!” After Impressive Dutch GP

    Yuki Tsunoda Pitches F1 Return With “Call me, please!” After Impressive Dutch GP

    The past week has been a whirlwind for Yuki Tsunoda. Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer learned the previous Friday of Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury and a potential driver change, yet Tsunoda revealed he only received the call on Tuesday—while still on a beach in Greece.

    Immediate readiness despite limited track time

    The Japanese driver emphasized he was physically fully prepared for the stand-in appearance, though adapting to the 2026-spec machinery remained a significant question mark. While Tsunoda has extensively tested the Red Bull car in the simulator this year, he had not driven the Racing Bulls challenger prior to the Dutch Grand Prix weekend.

    Strong showing at Zandvoort

    Despite the limited preparation, the race weekend at Zandvoort went remarkably well. Tsunoda stayed close to teammate Arvid Lindblad’s lap times throughout, qualified 12th in both sessions, and finished the race 11th—just ahead of Lindblad.

    “Honestly, I think I was able to progress faster than I expected. I drove only four times out of eight months since my last race in Abu Dhabi. And with that, I did pretty well,”

    Tsunoda said after the race.

    He acknowledged the adjustment from the ground-effect cars he had grown accustomed to over recent years to the current specification was substantial. At an energy-sensitive circuit like Zandvoort, energy management was not the deciding factor, yet the transition still presented challenges.

    “I think the most challenging part was pretty much everything – a lot of things, learning about deployment, buttons, everything, all procedures are different. And this race was also challenging because of tyre degradation, the degradation characteristic was also very different,”

    he explained.

    “So it was all about how to adapt to that, but honestly, the team supported me a lot. They made it easy for me to drive as fast as possible. It’s a shame that I didn’t score points, but I take it. I was fighting against top eight or top nine until the last few laps, I would say.”

    Future ambitions: F1 return remains Plan A

    The obvious follow-up question concerns Tsunoda’s future. Ahead of the Dutch GP, he had already indicated Formula 1 remains his primary goal, but stressed he does not want to spend another year on the sidelines.

    “Teams have to decide if they want me or not, but they should!”

    “I know what I can do and I think I pretty much showed what I can do to most of the paddock,”

    he added.

    “With just one race, a couple of sessions, I was able to fight close to the points. Honestly, I think the outcome was… obviously, scoring points [would have been] better, but I think I did as much as I could.”

    Before the Racing Bulls opportunity arose, Tsunoda appeared to be targeting IndyCar for 2027 if no F1 door opened. His Zandvoort performance demonstrated he can still be an asset to any midfield team under the current, complex regulations.

    “It’s definitely better having this opportunity, rather than not having any opportunity, so not being able to show what I can do with these regulations,”

    he noted.

    “The rest is up to my manager and other teams who have not decided yet about next year’s line-up, if they want to have me or not, but they should,”

    laughed the driver with 112 F1 starts to his name.

    A direct appeal to team principals

    When asked by Motorsport.com whether his chances of a full-time F1 return had increased after the weekend, Tsunoda paused for seven seconds, looked up, and laughed: “That’s cheeky, huh?”

    After another pause of more than 15 seconds, during which he consulted the Racing Bulls press officer on how best to answer, Tsunoda made a light-hearted appeal to F1 teams for 2027 as he walked away: “Call me, please!”