FIA admits error with Nico Hulkenberg's qualifying penalty at Bahrain GP

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

SAKHIR, Bahrain -- The FIA acknowledged a mistake in delaying a track limits penalty for Nico Hulkenberg during Saturday's Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying, which allowed the Sauber driver to advance to Q2 with an illegal lap.

Hulkenberg had gone off the track at Turn 11 in Q1, but his lap promoting him from 16th to a position good enough for Q2 was initially allowed to stand. The penalty was confirmed only after Hulkenberg had set a Q2 lap time, dropping him back to 16th.

Williams driver Alex Albon, originally 16th, was promoted to 15th and should have participated in Q2. Williams boss James Vowles expressed frustration, telling Sirius XM, "First of all it's frustrating, because Q1 is ever-so tight now...we didn't get the best lap with Alex, but it was a top ten car today."

A track limits violation occurs when a driver puts all four wheels over a white line at the circuit's edge, gaining an unfair advantage.

Four hours after qualifying, the FIA explained they had not monitored Turn 11 as thoroughly as needed due to previous practice sessions. Their statement read, "Based on previous sessions, Turn 11 was not deemed to be an area of focus for track limits... Unfortunately, in this case, it was not possible to act before Q2."

The FIA acknowledged their error and committed to better monitoring and processes in the future.

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