FIA hand down another verdict after Belgian GP practice

After reviewing the incident, the stewards opted to hand the Audi driver a reprimand, his second of the season so far. The FIA's official document explained that the double yellow flag was triggered only after Hulkenberg had already entered the relevant marshalling sector and passed the stranded car, leaving him with no opportunity to react before entering the zone.

The stewards acknowledged that Hulkenberg had only a very limited opportunity to realise he had entered a double yellow flag zone, as the warning on his steering wheel appeared while negotiating Turns 5 and 6. They also accepted the German's explanation that he was unaware the sector was under double yellow conditions, although they noted he knew he was at least in a single yellow zone and could not be certain it was not covered by double yellows.

Ultimately, the stewards concluded that Hulkenberg's reaction of lifting off the throttle and reducing speed was not sufficient to meet the requirements of a double yellow flag zone. However, given the exceptional circumstances surrounding the incident, they decided that a reprimand was the correct decision.

A Ferrari investigation is still pending after the Italian team was referred to the stewards for an alleged procedural breach between the opening and second practice sessions of the Belgian Grand Prix. After FP1, Ferrari electronically declared the return of two sets of dry-weather tyres for both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but the tyres themselves were not physically returned to the designated supplier before FP2, potentially breaching Article B6.4.2 of the Sporting Regulations.