Here's the thing, as The Race reports: the FIA has locked in a date for a dispute that could shuffle the final points order from Formula 1's Italian Grand Prix. November 25 is when the governing body's International Court of Appeal in Paris will hear Audi's challenge against Yuki Tsunoda escaping a penalty at Monza.
The whole mess traces back to a frantic restart sequence. Tsunoda was meant to line up 14th on the grid, but mistakenly headed toward the 15th-place slot before veering hard to the right at the last second. While his Racing Bulls machine managed to stop inside its intended grid box—meaning the car wasn't out of position over the front—it ended up parked at an awkward angle. That crooked stance prompted race director Rui Marques to trigger another formation lap because, as a subsequent stewards' document noted, he did not feel comfortable starting with the car sitting like that.
That extra formation lap sparked an immediate stewards' investigation. Under the rulebook, any driver who causes an extra formation lap must enter the pitlane at the end of it and start from the back of the pitlane. Since Tsunoda didn't serve that requirement, the sporting regulations dictate that any unserved stop-and-go penalty converts into a 30-second post-race time penalty.
Yet the stewards initially cleared him, accepting Racing Bulls' argument that Tsunoda wasn't the actual "cause" of the extra formation lap, placing that responsibility on Marques's own choice instead. Audi saw it differently, arguing that Tsunoda was indeed the catalyst and raising a formal concern regarding the application of Article B5.9.4.
There is plenty at stake for the standings. If the appeal succeeds and the 30-second sanction is applied, Tsunoda would tumble to 15th in the classification. That would promote Gabriel Bortoleto up into 10th place and the final pointspaying position.
Unfortunately, followers of the saga won't get to watch the arguments unfold live. At the request of the FIA, the hearing in Paris will take place entirely behind closed doors, keeping both the public and the media locked out. November 25 will bring the final verdict.
F1
F1
