McLaren in Chinese Grand Prix curfew breach as FIA issue official ruling

McLaren and three other F1 teams have been handed an official FIA ruling following a curfew breach at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin were forced to work beyond the permitted hours at the Shanghai circuit following a curfew break caused by logistical delays.

The teams were hampered by freight delays ahead of the Chinese GP weekend, after aircraft technical issues between Australia and China.

The tight turnaround between the two race weekends made it difficult for teams, with the FIA even releasing a statement confirming official tyre supplier Pirelli had also struggled to meet deadlines.

Now, the four teams have been confirmed to have broken a curfew ahead of FP1 at the Shanghai International Circuit, something that teams are allowed to do four times throughout the season before penalties apply.

"Wednesday night team personnel of the McLaren Formula 1 team, the Oracle Red Bull Racing team, the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 team who are associated with the operation of the car, were within the confines of the circuit during the 13 hour period which commenced at 17:30 on 19 March," the FIA announced in an official document.

Usually this would go down on the team's record for the remainder of the season, but a later decision was made by the sport's governing body confirming that the incident will not count as one of the four exceptions.

"[As] this was due to circumstances outside the control of the teams, the teams will not be required to utilise one of the four individual exemptions permitted," confirmed the FIA.

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