Nico Hülkenberg downgraded after qualifying in Sakhir, loses 13th position
The FIA officially downgraded Nico Hülkenberg at the end of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, after he exceeded the track limits in Q1. The decision was taken late, after the start of Q2, and forced the stewards to use a specific article of the International Sporting Code to rectify the error. Sauber's German driver, who had initially qualified for Q2, saw all his times cancelled and was relegated to sixteenth place.
Nico Hülkenberg is demoted. Although he passed Q1 in qualifying on Saturday with a time of 1:31.998, ensuring access to the second phase of qualifying, the FIA stewards announced, well after the fact, that this lap was in fact invalid: car number 27 had exceeded track limits at turn 11. An error that was evident according to the analyzed data, but which was only brought to the officials’ attention after the start of Q2, allowing the German to register the 13th best time before this penalty.
This exceeding of limits constitutes a violation of the FIA International Sporting Code Annex L, Chapter IV, Article 2 c), as well as a disregard for the event notes issued by the race director. In this case, document 23, point 17, clearly stipulates the rules to be followed regarding track limits, especially in this particularly monitored section of the circuit. As a result, not only was the 1:31.998 lap time deleted, but all times recorded by Hülkenberg in Q2 were also annulled, despite his participation in this session.
The FIA explains in its statement: « The stewards heard the team’s representative and reviewed the positioning/marshalling system data as well as the video evidence. During Q1, car 27 clearly exceeded track limits at turn 11. However, this was not reported to the stewards until the start of Q2. » A wording that shows the procedure did not follow its usual course. Generally, these infractions are detected in real-time, and the relevant times are immediately annulled, preventing drivers from advancing to the next phase.
The situation being deemed unusual, the commissioners decided to rely on article 11.9.2.a of the International Sporting Code to decide. This article allows officials to rule on exceptional cases with a certain degree of latitude, taking circumstances into account. The Sauber team, although present during the hearing, was unable to provide sufficient evidence to influence the decision. Result: Hülkenberg is officially reclassified in sixteenth position for the qualifiers, where he should have been if the penalty had been applied immediately. The commissioners could also have completely disqualified Nico Hülkenberg from the qualifiers.
For Hülkenberg, however, this decision is a tough blow, especially since his Q2 performances had hinted at interesting potential. Starting from the eighth row greatly complicates his chances of aiming for points in the race. The German driver will now have to deal with heavy traffic as soon as the lights go out, in a team that is already struggling to get closer to the front pack.
