Audi has confirmed its intention to proceed with an appeal against the FIA stewards’ decision regarding Yuki Tsunoda at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix. The German manufacturer is contesting the ruling that saw the Racing Bulls driver avoid a penalty for an incorrect grid position during a race restart earlier this month.
The incident occurred at Monza following a red flag period caused by Charles Leclerc’s early race crash. Yuki Tsunoda, making his second appearance of the season for Racing Bulls, approached his grid box for the standing restart.
Tsunoda initially headed for the wrong grid slot before correcting his position. However, his car was left angled towards the pit wall within his designated box.
FIA Race Director Rui Marques, who assumed the role in November 2024, subsequently called for an additional formation lap. Marques stated to the stewards that he was ‘not comfortable’ with Tsunoda’s car position, acting out of caution.
The stewards investigated the matter post-race but opted against issuing a penalty to Tsunoda. Their verdict noted that Racing Bulls was not informed by race control that Tsunoda was considered the direct cause of the extra formation lap.
Consequently, the team had no reason to instruct Tsunoda to enter the pitlane, as mandated by regulations if a driver causes such an incident. The stewards concluded the extra lap stemmed from the Race Director’s assessment.
Audi’s protest centers on Article B5.9.4 of the 2026 F1 Sporting Regulations. This article stipulates that any driver causing an extra formation lap, and then able to start a subsequent one, must enter the pitlane and start the race from there.
The standard penalty for failing to comply with this regulation is a stop-and-go penalty. If unserved during the race, this converts to a 30-second time penalty.
Tsunoda finished the Italian Grand Prix in 10th position, securing one World Championship point. Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto finished 11th, directly behind Tsunoda, with teammate Nico Hulkenberg in 12th.
A successful appeal by Audi would result in a 30-second time penalty for Tsunoda, dropping him out of the points. This would elevate Bortoleto to 10th place, earning Audi a crucial point.
Gabriel Bortoleto, who scored Audi’s first F1 points earlier this season at the Australian Grand Prix, emphasized the team’s stance.
‘I think it’s quite straightforward in the rules and when a driver causes an extra formation lap he must start from the pit lane and in that case Yuki didn’t,’ Bortoleto stated ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. ‘So that’s the reason why Audi is appealing. We are appealing the result. For us, it counts as a point if we get the position so every point counts. What’s right is right at the end of the day.’
Audi, which entered Formula 1 for the 2026 season through the acquisition of Sauber, lodged its intention to appeal on September 7, 2026.
The team had a 96-hour window to formally proceed with the appeal, which sources confirmed on Thursday, September 10, 2026, they would do.
The matter will now proceed to the FIA International Court of Appeal. A final decision on such appeals can take several weeks to be issued.
