F1 star disqualified from Azerbaijan GP qualifying due to results being changed | F1

Qualifying results for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix were changed after Pierre Gasly was disqualified for a fuel flow violation in his Alpine. The Frenchman’s car was flagged during routine post-session checks and sent to the stewards.

Gasly qualified 13th, between VCARB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, but the 28-year-old will now be relegated to the back of the grid after his Alpine power unit was deemed to have exceeded its maximum fuel flow.

In response to the disqualification, the FIA issued a statement: “The Technical Delegate advised that car No. 10 exceeded the permitted fuel mass flow of 100kg/h on the final lap measured in Q2.

“Team officials explained that they had an unexpected, short-term technical fault which caused the fuel mass flow to increase temporarily, more than expected. The cause was agreed by the FIA technical staff. The competitor did not dispute that the fuel mass flow was greater than the permitted limit at that time.”

The FIA added: “The normal penalty for a breach of the technical regulations is disqualification and the Stewards note that Article 1.3.3 of the International Sporting Code states: ‘If an Automobile is found not to comply with the applicable technical regulations, it shall not be defensible to claim that no performance advantage has been gained.

“In addition to the Code, this has long been the position of the International Court of Appeal. Accordingly, the Judges apply the usual penalty and disqualify the car and driver from the qualifying classification.”

Gasly’s disqualification added to the disappointment of what has been a difficult weekend for Alpine, with Esteban Ocon suffering a power unit issue in FP3 on Saturday, which resulted in a red flag, and then the Haas-linked driver hitting the wall on his final run in Q1 later that day.

One key driver to benefit from the ban is Lando Norris, who was caught by a yellow flag in sector three on the final lap of Q1, condemning him to a 17th-place finish. He now gains an extra position on the grid, moving up to 16th for the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday.

Gasly is not the only driver to receive a handicap for Sunday’s grid. Zhou Guanyu finished 19th on Saturday and would have moved up to P18 had the Alpine driver been disqualified, but was given two new engine components and sent back to the back of the grid.

While some of the more experienced drivers had Saturdays to forget, the newest names on the grid shone. Franco Colapinto qualified ahead of team-mate Alex Albon to secure ninth on the grid, while Oliver Bearman will start ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in 11th.