The Italian Grand Prix classification could still change. Audi has officially announced its intention to appeal the stewards’ decision not to penalize Yuki Tsunoda after an alleged infraction during the restart.
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The Italian Grand Prix may not yet have delivered its final classification. A few hours after the finish at Monza, Audi informed the FIA of its intention to appeal a decision concerning Yuki Tsunoda.
At the heart of the dispute: the positioning of the Racing Bulls driver on the grid during the restart organized after the red flag caused by the accident of Charles Leclerc.
Tsunoda had initially placed his car on the wrong side of the grid before repositioning himself unusually within his slot. The situation led the race direction to order an additional formation lap.
However, according to Audi, the regulations should have required the Japanese driver to enter the pit lane.
Audi challenges the stewards’ interpretation
Article B5.9.4 of the regulations states that a driver considered responsible for triggering an additional formation lap must enter the pit lane before resuming the race from there.
However, Tsunoda did not make this pit lane passage and took part in the restart from the grid.
The stewards therefore examined the incident after the race, but ultimately decided not to take any further action against him.
Their reasoning is based on a key point: despite his unusual angle, Tsunoda was considered correctly positioned inside his slot at the moment when the start procedure was to resume.
According to this interpretation, it was therefore not directly the Racing Bulls driver who caused the additional formation lap.
The race direction considered responsible
The stewards judged that the decision to organize an additional formation lap was made by the race direction.
In other words, since Tsunoda was ultimately within the limits of his slot, even if he was in an unusual position, he could not be considered the regulatory cause of this additional procedure.
It is on this basis that the stewards issued a “No Further Action”, meaning no penalty would be applied.
However, Audi does not share this reading of the regulations.
The German team considers that article B5.9.4 could apply to the situation and has therefore decided to initiate the procedure to officially challenge the verdict.
A championship point directly at stake
The issue is not only regulatory.
Tsunoda ultimately finished the Italian Grand Prix in tenth place, thus securing the last available point. It was his second weekend replacing Liam Lawson within the Faenza team.
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Just behind him at the finish was Gabriel Bortoleto.
The Audi driver finished 11th and thus narrowly missed the last position rewarded with a point.
A possible penalty imposed on Tsunoda could thus have direct consequences on Audi’s result, depending on the nature of the penalty that would be applied if the challenge succeeds.
This context also explains why the team decided to pursue the procedure rather than simply accept the initial stewards’ decision.
Audi now has 96 hours
At this stage, Audi has not yet formally filed its appeal.
The team has notified the FIA of its intention to appeal, a step that now gives it a 96-hour deadline to decide whether to officially proceed.
Audi confirmed its position in a statement released after the race.
“After the Italian Grand Prix, we raised a concern regarding the application of article B5.9.4, which requires a driver who caused an additional formation lap to enter the pit lane and resume the race from there.”
The team then recalls the decision made by the stewards before confirming its approach.
“The stewards decided not to take any further action and we have notified our intention to appeal.”
Audi now wishes to make no further public comments on the matter while the procedure is ongoing.
“As this matter is now subject to the FIA’s appeal procedure, we will make no further comment at this stage.”
Could the Monza classification change?
It will now depend on Audi’s decision to turn this intention into a formal appeal or not, then on the admissibility and outcome of the procedure before the FIA.
The core of the debate should focus on a precise question: who should be considered as having caused the additional formation lap?
Audi believes that the situation created by Tsunoda justified the application of article B5.9.4. The stewards, on the contrary, considered that the Japanese driver was correctly placed in his slot and that the decision to carry out an additional lap belonged to the race direction.
This regulatory nuance could have a very concrete consequence.
Tsunoda left Monza with the point for tenth place, while Bortoleto finished just behind him. Audi now intends to challenge the decision that allowed the Japanese driver to avoid a penalty, with potentially a championship point to recover if the procedure turns in its favor.
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