The Audi Revolut F1 Team may yet come away from the Italian Grand Prix with a point after notifying the FIA of its intention to appeal a post-race ruling involving Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda.
Audi finished just outside the points at Monza, with Gabriel Bortoleto 11th and Nico Hülkenberg 12th. Tsunoda crossed the line seven seconds ahead of Bortoleto in 10th, claiming the final championship point for Racing Bulls. The result ended Audi’s run of four consecutive points-scoring Grands Prix, though a disputed restart procedure means the final outcome could still change.
The incident occurred following Charles Leclerc’s crash on lap two, which brought out a red flag while barrier repairs were completed. As the field assembled for the subsequent standing restart, Tsunoda initially approached the wrong side of the grid before changing direction and positioning his Racing Bulls in its correct grid box.
Although Tsunoda ultimately stopped within his assigned position, Race Director Rui Marques was uncomfortable with the way the car had approached and settled into the grid position and ordered the field away for another formation lap.
That decision is at the center of Audi’s challenge.
Article B5.9.4 of the 2026 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations requires a driver deemed responsible for causing an additional formation lap to enter the pit lane at the end of that lap and subsequently start from there. Tsunoda instead returned to his grid position and participated in the standing restart.
The stewards investigated the incident after the race but ultimately took no further action. They determined that the additional formation lap resulted from the Race Director’s assessment of the situation rather than being directly caused by Tsunoda. They also found that Tsunoda had ultimately positioned his car correctly within its grid box and had not impeded another competitor.
There was another complication. Neither Tsunoda nor Racing Bulls had been informed by Race Control that Car 22 was considered responsible for the additional formation lap. The stewards reasoned that Racing Bulls therefore had no reason to instruct Tsunoda to enter the pit lane as required under Article B5.9.4.
Audi believes the application of that regulation deserves another look.
“Following the Italian Grand Prix, we raised a concern regarding the application of Article B5.9.4, which requires a driver who causes an extra formation lap to enter the pit lane and resume the race from there,” Audi said following the race.
“The Stewards issued a decision of No Further Action, and we have notified our intention to appeal. As the matter is now subject to the FIA appeal process, we will not comment further at this stage.”
Importantly, notifying the FIA of an intention to appeal is not the same as proceeding with the appeal itself. Under the FIA International Sporting Code, Audi had one hour following publication of the stewards’ decision to preserve its right to appeal. Doing so gives the team an additional 96 hours to examine the decision and determine whether it will formally pursue the case.
The potential payoff is straightforward. Had Tsunoda been required to enter the pits but failed to do so, Article B5.9.4 calls for a stop-and-go penalty. Under Formula 1 regulations, an unserved stop-and-go penalty can be converted into a 30-second post-race time penalty.
Tsunoda finished only seven seconds ahead of Bortoleto. A 30-second penalty, if that were ultimately the outcome of a successful Audi challenge, would therefore drop the Racing Bulls behind the Audi and promote Bortoleto to 10th and the final points-paying position.
That single point is particularly relevant given the increasingly competitive midfield battle. Audi arrived at Monza having scored in four consecutive Grands Prix, but both Alpine and Racing Bulls made significant gains in Italy. Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto finished seventh and ninth for Alpine, while Racing Bulls scored with Arvid Lindblad in eighth and Tsunoda in 10th.
For now, those results stand. Tsunoda remains classified 10th, Bortoleto 11th and Hülkenberg 12th, leaving Audi without points from Monza.
Whether that changes now depends first on Audi. By filing its notice, the team has bought itself time to study the stewards’ interpretation of Article B5.9.4 and decide whether there is sufficient ground to pursue a formal appeal. Until that window closes or Audi announces its next move, the Italian Grand Prix result remains official but the fight over its final championship point is not necessarily finished.