Yuki Tsunoda escapes penalty: FIA explains extra formation lap

– Yuki Tsunoda is allowed to keep his tenth place at the Formula 1 race in Monza. The Racing Bulls driver came under investigation after the race restart because his position on the grid apparently caused confusion for the race control, leading to an additional formation lap being ordered.

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After the accident involving Charles Leclerc and the subsequent interruption, the field resumed the race. Tsunoda initially steered to the left side of the grid, although his correct starting position was on the right side. When moving to the correct position, his car was then positioned at an unusual angle in his starting box.

The race control was not satisfied with the position and therefore ordered an additional formation lap. The race stewards investigated the case after the race. Tsunoda’s hard-fought tenth place and thus his first point of the season were at stake.

Tsunoda: “I was a bit confused”

Tsunoda explained that he was initially confused about his starting position himself. He had assumed he had to stand in 15th place on the left side before realizing that he had to move to the right side to 14th place.

“I was a bit confused when I was supposed to start between 14 and 15,” Tsunoda explains. “I thought I was 15. But at least I parked behind the box, quite far back, so I don’t think I had any advantage from that.”

These exact points also played a central role in the decision of the race stewards. The FIA determined from footage from several camera angles that Tsunoda initially drove towards the wrong position but then changed direction and correctly placed his car in the designated starting box.

FIA sees no reason for penalty

It was also crucial that, according to the stewards, Tsunoda’s car did not occupy an incorrect starting position. No contact area of the front tires was outside the boundary of the starting box. Furthermore, no other driver was affected by the position of the Racing Bulls driver.

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The race control explained that the additional formation lap was ordered based on their own assessment of the situation. The race director did not feel comfortable releasing the start given the position of the car.

The stewards agreed with this assessment. In their view, the additional formation lap was caused by the race director’s decision and was not directly caused by Tsunoda. Importantly, the team was never informed that Tsunoda was considered the cause of the additional lap.

No chance to react without notification

This is crucial for the application of the relevant regulations. If a driver is actually classified as the cause of an additional formation lap, he must enter the pit lane after the lap and resume the race from there. If he does not, a mandatory stop-and-go penalty threatens.

In Tsunoda’s case, however, the crucial information was missing. Neither the driver nor Racing Bulls knew that race control held them responsible for the additional formation lap. Since the car was positioned in the starting box in accordance with the rules according to the stewards’ assessment, there was no reason for the team to send Tsunoda into the pit lane.

The FIA therefore reached a clear conclusion: a stop-and-go penalty could not be imposed in this case. The stewards decided on “no further action.”

At the same time, they made it clear that the race director acted in good faith and out of caution. However, the FIA suggests introducing a process in the future whereby teams and drivers are immediately informed if they are considered the cause of an additional formation lap. Only in this way can they correctly implement the response provided for in the regulations.

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