The panel subsequently handed out a disqualification that sends the Alpine to the back of the grid, and means Gasly joins Zhou Guanyu in being penalised this weekend – the Kick Sauber driver exceeding his allowance of power unit components.
“The Technical Delegate reported that Car 10 [Gasly] exceeded the permitted 100Kg/h fuel mass flow on the final timed lap of Q2,” read the note from the stewards confirming the Alpine driver’s disqualification.
“The team representatives explained that they had an unexpected short duration
technical fault that raised the fuel mass flow greater than expected in a transient fashion. The cause was agreed by the FIA technical staff.
AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
“That the fuel mass flow was greater than the limit at that moment was not disputed by the competitor. The competitor demonstrated to the Stewards that the technical fault resulted in a slower lap time and that no performance advantage was obtained at that moment. Thus, they argue, this should be taken into mitigation. They also noted that the great rarity of breaches of this article demonstrates that this is not part of their strategy, and that the scale of the transient simply exceeded the margin they maintain to prevent a breach.”
With the usual penalty for a breach of the technical regulations a disqualification the stewards confirmed the same would be applied in this case.
It is not the first time a driver has been excluded from qualifying in 2024: Alex Albon lost out at Zandvoort due to an illegal Williams floor; and Haas pair Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen due an irregularity with Drag Reduction System in Monaco.
