Audi’s Formula 1 squad has formally expressed its intent to appeal the FIA’s decision not to penalize Yuki Tsunoda during the Italian Grand Prix.
Following some uncertainty regarding his starting position for the restart on lap six, Tsunoda positioned his car in the designated 14th spot, albeit angled toward the pit wall. Race director Rui Marques, feeling uneasy about the car’s alignment, decided to call for an additional formation lap.
Under Article B5.9.4 of the 2026 F1 sporting rules, any competitor who triggers an extra formation lap and is capable of participating in it must head into the pit lane before the lap concludes and initiate their race from the exit of the pit lane.
However, the FIA stewards ruled that the Japanese driver was not directly responsible for the delay, as the race director’s choice was purely precautionary. Tsunoda remained inside his starting box and did not disrupt anyone else. Crucially, race officials never notified the Racing Bulls team that their driver had triggered the extra lap, leaving them with no basis to instruct him to line up in the pit lane.
Avoiding a stop-and-go penalty, Tsunoda secured the final point-scoring position in tenth place. This lack of disciplinary action directly affected Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who finished just outside the points in eleventh.
Consequently, Audi has lodged a formal notice with the FIA declaring its plan to challenge the decision.
Audi released a statement saying: “After the conclusion of the Italian Grand Prix, we expressed reservations about the enforcement of Article B5.9.4, which dictates that any driver responsible for an extra formation lap must proceed to the pit lane to start the grand prix. With the Stewards ruling that no further action was required, we have submitted our intention to appeal. Since this process is now officially underway with the FIA, we will refrain from making any further remarks for the time being.”
Gabriel Bortoleto was denied a point-scoring finish in Monza due to the lack of a penalty for Yuki Tsunoda.
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Under Article 15.4 of the FIA International Sporting Code, teams are given a one-hour window following a ruling to declare an intent to appeal. This action does not commit Audi to a formal appeal immediately; rather, it secures a 96-hour window for the team to evaluate the details and decide whether to proceed with the challenge.
In explaining their judgment, the stewards noted: “The additional formation lap was initiated by the Race Director’s evaluation of the circumstances, not directly because of the actions of the driver in Car 22.
“Furthermore, Article B5.9.4 dictates that if the competitor responsible for the extra formation lap is capable of running it, they must head to the pit lane when the lap ends and start the race from there. A mandatory stop-and-go penalty is only triggered if the driver fails to comply with this requirement.
“To clarify, the infraction lies in the failure to use the pit lane for the start. It is not a direct punishment for triggering the extra formation lap itself, even if the driver was the source of the delay.
“A key complication here is that to fulfill the obligation of starting from the pit lane, a competitor must first be informed that they were the reason the extra lap was called.”
The panel of stewards continued: “Given that the vehicle was correctly situated inside its grid slot according to the rules, we believe the team had no logical reason to direct their driver to head to the pit lane.
“Consequently, regardless of whether the driver was responsible for the extra lap, neither the competitor nor the team had any awareness of this designation. We have therefore determined that a stop-and-go penalty cannot be fairly applied, and we choose to close the matter with no further action.”
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– The Autosport.com Editorial Team
