Bahrain Grand Prix - corrected result →
Hülkenberg penalty, Bahrain GP 2026€30,000 fine for unsafe release
OutcomeThe competitor (Audi Revolut F1 Team) is fined €30,000 of which €20,000 is suspended for 12 months on condition that the Competitor does not commit a similar infringement during its pitstops in the meantime
← This resolved the original summons
Stewards' document · Published
- Driver
- Hülkenberg
- What happened
- Unsafe act during the pit stop resulting in an unsafe situation.
- Offence
- Unsafe release - every ruling & the going rate →
Going rate across 10 rulings in 2026: Fine ×8 · No action ×1 · Warning ×1
- Regulation cited
- Art. 12.2.1.h, Art. B1.6.2 · unsafe release
- Stewards' reasoning
- The Stewards heard from the team representative and reviewed video and in-car video evidence. During the pit stop of Hülkenberg (HUL), the automated release system initially displayed a green light after all four wheel guns had been removed from the wheel nuts and the respective mechanics had activated the release system. However, a mechanic was still in front of the car near the left-front wheel after having adjusted the front wing. The Team explained that its release procedure incorporates an additional manual safety check by a controller. When the responsible team member observed that the mechanic was still in front of the left-front wheel, the release signal was immediately changed back to red. HUL initially began to move away from the pit stop position in response to the green light. However, he immediately recognised that the light went back to red as the mechanic was still in front of the car and reacted promptly by stopping the car before it had fully left the pit stop position. The Stewards considered whether the initial green signal itself constituted an unsafe release. Article B1.6.2 defines when a car is deemed to have been released from its Designated Pit Stop… full reasoning ↗
Source: FIA stewards' decision document (PDF, fia.com). The Time Penalty links to the official document and, where it can, summarises the outcome in a sentence; it does not host or alter the document.
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