French F1 racer Ocon faces possible exclusion after technical breach in Azerbaijan GP qualifying

Following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying, the FIA technical inspection identified a violation on Esteban Ocon’s car, İdman.biz reports.

The rear wing of the Haas car bent under load more than the allowed 0.5 millimetres, breaching Article 3.15.17 of the Technical Regulations.

Technical delegate Joe Bauer reported the violation to the stewards, who will now decide on the sanctions. The most likely outcome is the exclusion of the French driver from the official qualifying results.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix began on September 19 and will run until September 21. The opening day features two free practice sessions, along with test runs and qualifying rounds for the Formula 2 championship.

The Baku City Circuit measures 306.049 km and includes 20 turns over 51 laps. The first Formula 1 race in Baku took place in 2016 under the name European Grand Prix, and since 2017 it has been officially known as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Past winners of the Baku stage include Nico Rosberg (Germany), Daniel Ricciardo (Australia), Lewis Hamilton (UK), Valtteri Bottas (Finland), Sergio Perez (Mexico), and Max Verstappen (Netherlands). In 2023, Perez claimed his second victory here, while Oscar Piastri of McLaren won the 2024 race. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ahead of this year’s race, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was leading the drivers’ standings with 324 points, followed by teammate Lando Norris with 293 points, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third with 230 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren maintains a commanding lead with 617 points, well ahead of Ferrari (280) and Mercedes (260).

By Khagan Isayev