FIA DISQUALIFIES F1 star at Azerbaijan GP

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was excluded from qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix This happened due to a fuel supply interruption, making things even worse for Alpine after an already difficult weekend ahead of Sunday's race.

The Frenchman, who initially qualified 13th, was penalised after race control found that his car had exceeded the maximum permitted fuel flow rate on his final Q2 lap.

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Despite a difficult start to the weekend, in which Gasly struggled in practice, he showed significant improvement in qualifying.

After moving up to fourth place in Q1, he comfortably made it into Q2 and secured 13th place on the grid, leaving his rivals Nico Hülkenberg and Lance Stroll behind.

However, his efforts were thwarted when the FIA A violation of Article 5.2.3 of the Formula 1 Technical Regulations, which limits the instantaneous fuel mass flow to 100 kg/h, was detected.

Gasly, along with representatives from Alpine, was summoned by the race stewards after qualifying.

The team confirmed that a “momentary technical error” caused the fuel flow to exceed the limit, but despite arguing that no performance advantage was gained, the infringement resulted in automatic disqualification.

FIA statement confirms disqualification

The FIA’s official report confirmed the details of Gasly’s disqualification, stating: “The Technical Delegate reported that Car 10 [Gasly] exceeded the permitted fuel mass flow of 100kg/h on the last timed lap of Q2.”

Alpine explained that the rupture occurred due to an unexpected technical failure that temporarily increased fuel flow.

However, the FIA ​​Technical Delegate agreed that although the infringement was unintentional, it was still a breach of the regulations.

Although Alpine argued that the technical error slowed Gasly's lap and did not give him an advantage, the race stewards imposed the standard penalty for such an infringement.

The FIA ​​regulations state: “If a car is found not to comply with the applicable technical regulations, the claim that no performance advantage has been achieved is not a defence.”

Gasly's disqualification is reminiscent of similar incidents earlier in the season, when Alex Albon and the Haas drivers were excluded from qualifying for technical infringements.

Despite the setback, Gasly was given permission to start from the back of the grid on Sunday, joining Zhou Guanyu, who also received a grid penalty this weekend for powertrain changes.

The Frenchman now faces a tough battle in Sunday's race as he must recover from the disqualification and save points for Alpine in what promises to be a dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

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