Why Has Pierre Gasly Been Disqualified from the Azerbaijan GP Qualifying?

Why Has Pierre Gasly Been Disqualified from the Azerbaijan GP Qualifying?

The FIA have confirmed that Pierre Gasly has been disqualified from the qualifying session for the 2024 Azerbaijan GP. He had qualified 13th for the Grand Prix but a technical breach has resulted in the stewards penalizing him.

Scrutiny of Gasly‘s car showed that the Renault Power Unit was not functioning in accordance with the Technical Regulations. As per Article 5.2.3 of the regulations, at all times the fuel mass flow should not exceed 100kg/h.

The FIA’s technical delegate reported to the Stewards that during the final timed lap of Q2, the #10 driver’s A524’s power unit had exceeded the permitted fuel mass flow. The argument made by the team was that the excess fuel mass flow was due to a technical fault on the car and not a deliberate measure taken by them to gain an unfair advantage.

Moreover, Alpine also argued that Gasly had in fact lost time due to the issue. The stewards took note of Alpine’s protest. However, they ultimately decided to disqualify the Frenchman from the results of the session.

This was because the International Sporting Code makes it very clear that there is no scope for mitigation when there is a breach of the technical regulations. The Stewards explained,

“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'”.

The fuel mass flow dictates how much fuel can be burned by the combustion engine inside an F1 car. The rate is capped to restrict teams from burning more fuel for a short-term boost, especially during qualifying. In essence, an F1 engine is only allowed to use 27.8 grams per second.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Alpine Azerbaijan GP Pierre Gasly

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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