Hulkenberg loses P2 after incident in qualifying at Canadian GP

Nico Hulkenberg has lost his place on the front row of the grid. The Haas driver had to report to the stewards for allegedly not adhering to the lap time limit during the red flag. The stewards decided that this was indeed the case and felt a penalty was appropriate.

Hulkenberg has not had long to enjoy the second place he heroically achieved during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix. The stewards have ruled that he set too fast a lap time during the red flag, resulting in a three-place grid penalty. As a result, the Haas driver has to start from fifth place.

The stewards further argue that the usual penalty for this would be ten places but that Hulkenberg had tried to slow down as best he could. The German driver was also confused by the beeps he heard in the cockpit, which made him suspect that he was driving too slowly. The stewards saw this as extenuating circumstances, applying a lighter penalty than normal as a result.