Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly has been disqualified from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying session following a regulatory infringement. The incident involved exceeding the instantaneous fuel mass flow limit, a violation of Article 5.2.3 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations.
According to the technical delegate’s report, Gasly’s car, number 10, surpassed the permissible fuel mass flow of 100Kg/h. The Alpine team representatives noted that a transient technical fault caused this spike in fuel flow. They claimed the fault was unexpected, occurred briefly, and did not provide any performance advantage, as evidenced by a slower lap time. The team argued that such technical issues are rare and not part of their race strategy.
During the hearing, which included the attendance of the team’s sporting director and an engineer, but not Gasly himself, the FIA and stewards reviewed the team’s claims. Despite agreeing on the fault’s cause, the FIA technical staff explained that the lack of a performance advantage was irrelevant.
Referring to Article 1.3.3 of the International Sporting Code, the justification was clear. The official letter from the Stewards states:
Pierre Gasly of France and Alpine F1 attends the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 12, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Pierre Gasly has been disqualified from the Azerbaijan GP Qualifying session.
Clive Rose/Getty Images
“No / Driver: 10 – Pierre Gasly
“Competitor: BWT Alpine F1 Team
“Fact: Exceeding the instantaneous fuel mass flow limit.
“Infringement: Breach of Article 5.2.3 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations.
“Decision: Car 10 is disqualified from the qualifying classification.
“Reason: The Stewards heard from the team representatives of Car 10 (Pierre Gasly), including the Sporting Director and the Engineer involved, and the FIA Technical Delegate along with the FIA Engineers managing the measurements and data from the car. The driver was summoned to give him the opportunity to provide a defence but did not attend the hearing.
“The Technical Delegate reported that Car 10 exceeded the permitted 100Kg/h fuel mass flow on the final timed lap of Q2.
“The team representatives explained that they had an unexpected short duration technical fault that raised the fuel mass flow greater than expected in a transient fashion. The cause was agreed by the FIA technical staff.
“That the fuel mass flow was greater than the limit at that moment was not disputed by the competitor.
“The competitor demonstrated to the Stewards that the technical fault resulted in a slower lap time and that no performance advantage was obtained at that moment. Thus, they argue, this should be taken into mitigation. They also noted that the great rarity of breaches of this article demonstrates that this is not part of their strategy, and that the scale of the transient simply exceeded the margin they maintain to prevent a breach.
“The usual penalty for a breach of the technical regulations is disqualification and the Stewards note that Article 1.3.3 of the International Sporting Code states ‘If an Automobile is found not to comply with the applicable technical regulations, it shall be no defence to claim that no performance advantage was obtained.’ In addition to the Code this has long been the position of the International Court of Appeal.
“Thus, the Stewards apply the usual penalty and disqualify the car and driver from the classification of qualifying.”
