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Aston Martin is challenging the results of the Austrian GP, and whether penalties were handled appropriately
Aston Martin has lodged a protest of the results at Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Both of their drivers finished inside the top ten, with Fernando Alonso coming in sixth, and Lance Stroll coming in tenth. While it is not known at the moment what the team is protesting, given that Alonso finished four seconds behind Lando Norris, and Stroll finished less than two seconds behind Pierre Gasly, it is likely that the team will point to one — or both — drivers potentially exceeding track limits.
This was a theme throughout the week, and if either Norris and/or Gasly is judged to have exceeded the track limits, they could be hit with a five-second penalty.
As a result, that could potentially push Alonso and/or Stroll further up the classification.
Here is the F1 document, noting that the team is indeed requesting that race official ensure that penalties for exceeding track limits were applied appropriately:
The section of the Sporting Regulations cited above, Article 33.3, involves exceeding track limits, and reads as follows:
Drivers must make every reasonable effort to use the track at all times and may not leave the track without a justifiable reason.
Drivers will be judged to have left the track if no part of the car remains in contact with it and, for the avoidance of doubt, any white lines defining the track edges are considered to be part of the track but the kerbs are not.
Should a car leave the track the driver may re-join, however, this may only be done when it is safe to do so and without gaining any lasting advantage. At the absolute discretion of the Race Director a driver may be given the opportunity to give back the whole of any advantage he gained by leaving the track.
This post will be updated when a decision is reached.
