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Audi has notified the FIA of its intention to appeal the decision not to penalise Yuki Tsunoda for his position during the Italian Grand Prix restart. The ruling allowed the Racing Bulls driver to retain 10th place and the final championship point, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto finished 11th.
The incident occurred on lap six, when the field prepared for a restart. Tsunoda stopped in his correct 14th grid slot, but his car was positioned at an angle towards the inside wall. Race director Rui Marques was “not comfortable” with the placement and ordered an additional formation lap.
Under Article B5.9.4 of the F1 2026 sporting regulations, a driver who causes an extra formation lap and can take part in it must enter the pit lane at the end of the lap and restart from the pit-lane exit. Failure to do so carries a mandatory stop-and-go penalty.
However, the stewards concluded that Tsunoda had not technically caused the extra formation lap. In their assessment, it resulted from the race director’s decision as a precaution. They also noted that Tsunoda remained within his grid box and did not affect other competitors.
The central issue was not only Tsunoda’s position, but whether the team had been told that he was being treated as the cause of the extra lap. Race control had not informed Racing Bulls of that interpretation, leaving the team with no reason to instruct Tsunoda to start from the pit lane.
The stewards wrote that compliance with Article B5.9.4 required the driver to know he was considered responsible. Since the team and driver were unaware of that status, the stewards determined that a stop-and-go penalty could not be imposed and took no further action.
Audi said it had raised concerns about the application of the regulation and confirmed that it had notified its intention to appeal. “As the matter is now subject to the FIA appeal process, we will not comment further at this stage,” the team said.
Audi’s notification does not yet confirm that it will proceed with a full appeal. Under Article 15.4 of the FIA International Sporting Code, competitors have one hour after a stewards’ decision to register their intention. That notification creates an additional 96-hour period to study the case before deciding whether to continue.
The dispute adds another layer to a Monza weekend already shaped by stewarding decisions, including the wider questions explored in our report on the FIA’s appeal process. For Audi, the immediate concern is clear: a different ruling would have moved Bortoleto into the points.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.