The impressive fourth position achieved in the German Haas Nico Hulkenberg In qualifying in Abu Dhabi, his best grid position of the season, he was threatened with a Stewards penalty and eventually dropped three places on the grid, allowing Verstappen, Gasly and Russell to gain a place in the offices .
His ‘sin’ was overtaking two cars on the pit exit, a maneuver that didn’t affect anyone’s time. However, he did not follow the instructions according to the race director and was delayed from second to fourth starting line.
In a document published by the FIA, the stewards explained that: “The driver did not deny during the hearing that he did not follow the instructions of the race director, but declared that he had no choice but to break the rules in order to lap.”
“While the stewards recognize that the position of the team’s garages limits their options for sending cars to the track, this cannot be used as an excuse to violate any regulations.”
“The prohibition of overtaking in certain areas such as the pit lane or, in this case, the exit from the pits, is implemented to avoid potentially dangerous situations and therefore the Stewards determine that in this case a relegation to the grid is justified.”
Before the sanction, Hulkenberg admitted that he was surprised by his performance that earned him an ephemeral P4: “I was expecting a result in the top 10 for sure because that’s where we’ve been all weekend, a pretty nice session in almost every case , so I knew it was something I had to do. But the P4 is definitely more than I expected and wanted. [Fue una] very strong session, which is due to a good car performance and good teamwork.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
