F1 News: Mercedes in official FIA breach at Austrian Grand Prix

Photo: © IMAGO

Austrian Grand Prix

Mercedes in official FIA breach at Austrian Grand Prix

Mercedes have been flagged by the FIA in Austria

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 27 June 2026 23:45

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Mercedes F1 team have been pulled up for a breach of curfew at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

Ahead of the race in Spielberg, the FIA declared a heat hazard for the Austrian GP, and prior to the second day of track running, F1's governing body also noted Toto Wolff's F1 squad for breaching curfew.

A statement from the FIA released ahead of Saturday's FP3 and qualifying confirmed that Mercedes had broken curfew on Friday, June 26.

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Curfew breaches are fairly common in the paddock across a race weekend and can be committed for any number of reasons – but the rule was originally introduced to ensure team personnel did not work on their cars through the night and gain an unfair advantage.

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The full statement from the FIA revealed: "Last night team personnel of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team, who are associated with the operation of the car, were within the confines of the circuit during the eleven and a half (11.5) hour period which commenced at 22:00 on 26 June, fourteen and a half (14.5) hours before the scheduled start time of P3 and ends three (3) hours before the scheduled start time of P3 at 09:30 on 27 June.

"This was the first (1 ) of the four (4) individual exceptions permitted for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team during the 2026 Formula One Championship season and therefore no action should be taken."

Audi F1 team were also found to have broken curfew, and although this was the second infringement of the 2026 campaign for the German marque, no action was taken against them for the breach either.

However, if either team are found to have breached the FIA's curfew on a further four occasions (Mercedes) or a further three occasions (Audi), they could be at risk of a penalty.