JUST IN: FIA issue official statement as F1 star DISQUALIFIED from Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying… Read more
FIA issue official statement as F1 star DISQUALIFIED from Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend has already been shaken by controversy after Esteban Ocon, representing Haas F1, was officially disqualified from qualifying due to a technical infringement. The FIA confirmed late on Saturday that Ocon’s car failed a post-qualifying inspection, leaving the Frenchman stripped of his result and relegated to the back of the grid for Sunday’s race in Baku.
The issue was first identified by FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer, who referred the case to the race stewards after an irregularity was discovered during a standard rear wing deflection test. According to the governing body, Ocon’s car number 31 did not meet the strict parameters set out in the technical regulations, specifically under TR Article 3.15.17.
In its official statement, the FIA outlined that the “rear wing main plane tip deflection test” was carried out, and the results showed that the measured deflections exceeded the allowable tolerance of 0.5mm. The stewards later confirmed that the left-hand side of the wing showed a flex of 0.6mm, while the right-hand side was measured at a more significant 0.825mm.
“The calibration of the measuring instrument was verified and valid,” the stewards’ report clarified, removing any suggestion of an error in the testing process. “The team conceded that the test procedure had been correctly followed and explained that the discrepancy came from a production issue affecting this particular assembly. Nevertheless, the vehicle does not comply with the regulations and the standard penalty of disqualification from qualifying classifications is imposed.”
A Blow for Haas in Baku
Before the disqualification, Ocon had qualified 18th after struggling heavily with braking problems throughout the session. Despite being far down the order already, the FIA’s ruling means the Haas driver will now start the race from last place on the grid. For a team searching for consistency and points, the setback is a bitter pill to swallow.
Ocon himself admitted that qualifying had been extremely frustrating, with ongoing issues making the car almost impossible to control under braking. “We had a massive braking problem in qualifying,” he told reporters. “On my lap I must have locked up three times, couldn’t get the car slowed down, and ended up running wide in several corners. The wind made things trickier, but that wasn’t the main reason we struggled. It was the same issue we already saw in FP3.”
The Frenchman added that he was braking up to 30 or 40 bars less than his teammate Ollie Bearman, yet still could not stop the car effectively, often going straight into the run-off areas. “It was insane,” Ocon said. “There’s definitely more pace in the car, but today was wasted. Hopefully tomorrow we can find some opportunities to move forward, but we really need to get to the bottom of these braking issues.”
Context and Implications
For Haas, the incident is particularly damaging as they look to climb the midfield pecking order this season. With the Azerbaijan Grand Prix often producing chaotic races due to the tight Baku City Circuit and frequent safety cars, the team will hope Ocon can still salvage something despite starting from the back.
Technical disqualifications are rare but not unheard of in Formula 1. They serve as a reminder of the unforgiving nature of the sport’s regulations, where even minute infringements – in this case, just fractions of a millimeter – can result in harsh penalties. The FIA has long maintained that uniform enforcement is necessary to ensure fairness, particularly with flexible aero components like the rear wing, which can provide performance advantages if they bend beyond the permitted limits.
While Ocon’s struggles in qualifying were already evident, the disqualification compounds what has been a deeply frustrating weekend for the French driver. Now, instead of fighting to recover from the lower end of the grid, he faces the daunting challenge of starting from dead last in a race where overtaking is possible but always risky on the narrow streets of Baku.
As things stand, Ocon and Haas will need to regroup quickly, address the braking concerns, and attempt to use strategy, reliability, and the unpredictability of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to turn a nightmare Saturday into a more positive Sunday outcome.
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