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FIA Issues Verdict After Colapinto’s Pit-Lane Drama Causes Chaos in Qualifying

The FIA has delivered its official verdict following an unusual incident involving Franco Colapinto during Q1 of Formula 1 qualifying that briefly disrupted the session and left several drivers scrambling to adjust their out laps.

Colapinto, who was preparing for his final flying lap, found himself stranded at the pit-lane exit when his car refused to engage properly. The Argentine radioed his team to report the issue but was unable to pull away, creating a traffic bottleneck for the queue of drivers behind him eager to complete their laps.

Despite the inconvenience caused, most drivers were able to navigate around the stationary car and start their laps in time. Unfortunately for Colapinto, his qualifying session ended prematurely as he managed only to crawl past the pit exit line before pulling over to the right side and retiring from the session.

The FIA stewards investigated the matter, specifically looking into whether Colapinto and his team had breached regulations by attempting to exit the pit lane while experiencing a technical issue. However, after reviewing the incident, they ruled that no further action would be taken.

In an official statement, the FIA clarified:

“The Stewards reviewed video, team radio and in-car video evidence and determined that Car 43 faced a technical issue with the car while in the fast lane of Q1. The team and driver attempted to resolve the issue but failed to do so after a few attempts. The driver then pulled over to the right-hand side of the pit exit road, after crossing the pit exit line and exited the car.

We did not consider that any rule or regulation had been infringed by the conduct of the team or driver in attempting to resolve the technical issue, notwithstanding the fact that they ultimately failed to do so.”

The incident adds another layer of drama to a qualifying session already filled with surprises, including Max Verstappen being outpaced and Red Bull suffering a rare setback at the Spanish Grand Prix.