Controversy Surrounds Nico Hulkenberg’s Qualifying Advancement in Bahrain GP

The recent qualifying round of the Bahrain Grand Prix has sparked controversy, with the FIA stewards explaining an incident that saw Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg advance to Q2 despite exceeding track limits. This decision, which denied Williams driver Alex Albon a spot in the second round of qualifying, has left many questioning the fairness of the race.

The Incident That Robbed Albon of a Spot in Q2

Hulkenberg’s third and final push lap in Q1 yielded a 1m31.998s, just enough to bump out Albon by a mere 0.042s. The German then went on to qualify 13th in Q2, before his quickest Q1 lap was investigated and ultimately deleted for track limits, demoting him to 16th.

As Q2 had already commenced at that time, Albon, who was bumped up to 15th in the final classification, never got the opportunity to take part any further and so could not qualify higher than that.

The Reason Behind Hulkenberg’s Deleted Lap Time

The reason for Hulkenberg’s deleted lap time was him going wide on the exit of Turn 11, where he crossed the white line with all four wheels and drifted over the kerbs. This error actually cost him lap time rather than gain him anything, with the Sauber driver ruing to his race engineer that he had left over two tenths on the table.

However, the FIA’s rulebook is black and white, so Hulkenberg’s lap should have been deleted at the time. The incident caused fury at Williams, which questioned why Hulkenberg’s transgression wasn’t picked up at the time.

The FIA’s Explanation for the Delayed Decision

The FIA has now explained that the off-track moment was reported too late, with the stewards then deciding to amend the result based on a provision in the International Sporting Code. “During Q1, Car 27 clearly exceeded track limits in Turn 11. However, this was not reported to the Stewards until Q2 had commenced,” the race stewards’ decision document read.

As this is an unusual situation, the Stewards have decided to settle the matter by exercising their authority under Article 11.9.2.a of the FIA International Sporting Code. “The lap time of 1:31.998 of Car 27 recorded in Q1 is deleted. All lap times of Car 27 in Q2 are deleted. Car 27 will therefore be classified in position 16 in Qualifying.

Williams’ Response to the Controversial Decision

Williams team principal James Vowles said he struggled to understand why Hulkenberg’s slip-up wasn’t spotted in time for Q2. “A bit of injustice with Alex today, I’m not feeling good about this,” Vowles told Sky Sports. “Obviously the track limits are analysed live, but the result for Hulkenberg came way after we would have an opportunity to go to Q2, and today Alex had the pace to make it all the way to Q3. What I’d like to understand now is why this happened.

Albon’s team-mate Carlos Sainz qualified eighth for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix. Photos from Bahrain GP – Practice & Qualifying.