Audi received an official warning following a ruling by the stewards regarding Nico Hulkenberg’s driving behavior during qualifying. Stewards concluded that Hulkenberg was driving excessively slowly, causing a significant traffic situation.
Audi’s Warning for Nico Hulkenberg
The incident took place on the Monte-Carlo circuit. Charles Leclerc approached Hulkenberg’s Audi as he was on a prep lap, while Hulkenberg was supposed to be on a cool-down lap. The stewards noted complications arose due to incorrect information provided by Hulkenberg’s race engineer.
The stewards’ report stated, “Car 16 [Leclerc] was on a prep lap and car 27 [Hulkenberg] was on a cool-down lap and therefore the two cars were on different speed strategies.” The team incorrectly advised Hulkenberg that the track was “all clear behind,” leading to the warning for Audi. Fortunately for Hulkenberg, this ruling does not affect his qualifying position; he will start in 13th place for the race.
Williams Fined for Pit Lane Incident
In a separate incident, Williams was fined €5,000 due to an obstruction of Arvid Lindblad’s car in the pit lane. This incident occurred as Alexander Albon approached the Williams pit while Carlos Sainz Jnr’s car was being serviced.
Details of the Williams Incident
- Cars involved:
- Car 55: Carlos Sainz Jnr
- Car 23: Alexander Albon
- Car 41: Arvid Lindblad
- Sequence of Events:
- Car 55 was already at the Williams team garage when Car 23 approached.
- Car 23 circled Car 55, temporarily blocking Car 41 from entering its designated pit stop.
- Car 41 narrowly avoided running over a mechanic’s foot during this maneuver.
The Williams team acknowledged that the incident could have been managed more effectively, leading to both a formal warning and a fine due to the potential safety hazard.
