Audi challenges FIA decision not to penalise Yuki Tsunoda at F1 Italian GP
Audi has lodged notice of its intention to appeal the decision not to penalise Yuki Tsunoda.
The Audi Formula 1 team has lodged notice of its intention to appeal the FIA's decision not to penalise Yuki Tsunoda at the Italian Grand Prix.
Tsunoda escaped punishment after an investigation into his grid position at the restart of Sunday's wild race at Monza after Charles Leclerc's huge crash brought out a red flag.
The Japanese driver appeared to have parked out of his position and race control decided to commence an additional formation lap because it was not comfortable with the situation.
But the FIA stewards ultimately took no further action after investigating Tsunoda over the "alleged breach of Article B5.9.4 of the FIA F1 Regulations – Start Procedure infringement at 15:41."
They determined that Tsunoda was ultimately not in a false start position and that his actions had no impact on other competitors. The extra formation lap was deemed not to be directly caused by Tsunoda.
Crucially, the FIA's verdict meant Tsunoda held onto his 10th place finish that earned Racing Bulls a point.
Audi's notification of its intention to appeal the decision gives it a 96-hour window in which to decide whether it wants to proceed or not.
Under the FIA's judicial and disciplinary rules, this has to be done within one hour of any decision made by the race officials.
So in effect, Audi is buying itself some time before deciding whether to press on with a full appeal, or withdraw it.
"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," a statement issued by Audi read.
"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."
Audi stands to gain from any penalty for Tsunoda, as he would have likely dropped behind both Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg.
Bortoleto would have therefore been promoted to 10th and earned the German manufacturer a point.
Audi currently lies eighth in the constructors' championship on 16 points, five behind Haas and five clear of Williams.
Racing Bulls sits fifth on 75 points thanks to Tsunoda's top-10 finish at Monza.
Tags:
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
