Could the Monza result still be in doubt? Audi announces protest

During the Formula 1 weekend at Monza, the long-awaited decision was finally made regarding the result of the Monaco Grand Prix, which had taken place back in early June. There had been all sorts of confusion there regarding speed measurements in the pit lane and the resulting time penalties. It was not until the Monza weekend – just under three months after the end of the Monaco Grand Prix – that the decision was made: Pierre Gasly (Alpine) lost his podium place, and Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) moved up to third. Gasly had finished third, then dropped down the order due to the penalty, but had later regained his podium place following an initial protest – only to lose it again now. Is there now the prospect of yet another endless debate over a result?

Audi announces Monza protest

Following the race at Monza, Audi announced that it might challenge the result of the Italian Grand Prix, thereby giving notice within the required timeframe that a protest could follow in the coming days. The reason for Audi’s criticism of the result this time is not a penalty – but the failure to impose one. What happened? And what might the consequences be?

Yuki Tsunoda, who raced for Racing Bulls at Monza, replacing Liam Lawson (who in turn was standing in for Isack Hadjar at Red Bull Racing), finished tenth in the race, thus securing the final points-scoring position. Behind him, in the non-points positions of 11th and 12th, were the Audi drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg. The German-Swiss team therefore came away empty-handed.

It all comes down to an incident at the restart

An incident involving Tsunoda caused confusion at the Italian Grand Prix and led to a further formation lap at the restart following a red flag (Leclerc’s crash). On his way to the starting grid, Tsunoda initially lined up on the left by mistake, although his starting bay was on the right-hand side. So he turned right quite late and ended up slightly askew in his starting box. Race director Rui Marques aborted the start and called for an extra formation lap.

An investigation was launched against Tsunoda for an alleged breach of the starting procedure. If a driver triggers an extra formation lap, they are actually required to start from the pits. Tsunoda did not do this during the second restart attempt, nor was he instructed to do so. The race stewards decided against imposing a penalty. To summarise their reasoning briefly: as the team and driver were unaware that they were being considered as the cause of the extra formation lap, and as Tsunoda was not officially in an incorrect starting position, no stop-and-go penalty will be imposed. It was also stated that the extra formation lap was implemented for safety reasons and in good faith.

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Audi’s protest has been noted

Audi announced within the one-hour deadline following the race that it was considering an appeal. The team now has 96 hours from Sunday evening to actually lodge an appeal (though they may also choose not to do so within this timeframe). Should Audi’s protest be successful, Tsunoda would likely be handed a time penalty retrospectively. Stop-and-go penalties are usually set at 30 seconds. This would see both Audi drivers move up one place and Bortoleto gain a point.