F1 star slapped with penalty despite FIA admitting 'significant' safety car error

Audi F1 star Gabriel Bortoleto was hit with a penalty after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite the FIA admitting that a safety car error 'contributed significantly' to the situation.

The incident in question occurred between turns six and seven during the first lap after the first safety car restart around the Baku street circuit, with Bortoleto summoned to see the stewards after the race for an alleged breach of Appendix H, Article 2.5.5 b) of the International Sporting Code and/or B5.13.2(c) of the FIA 2026 F1 Sporting Regulations – overtaking under yellow flags and/or safety car procedure.

Bortoleto went on to explain that he had been getting mixed information, with safety car boards having been displayed by some marshals at the time, despite the fact it had not yet been deployed again.

"BOR [Bortoleto] explained that he initially reacted to the SC [safety car] boards and Yellow Flags. However, he did not see any corresponding electronic indication and did not receive a Safety Car indication on his steering wheel. He was also informed by his Team that the Safety Car had not been deployed," the FIA confirmed.

"BOR therefore became uncertain as to the actual status of the Race and, not wishing to lose position unnecessarily, subsequently overtook PER [Sergio Perez]."

The stewards accepted that the safety car display error 'contributed significantly' to Bortoleto's actions.

"The Stewards accept that the conflicting information contributed significantly to the situation," the FIA added. "In particular, as the Safety Car had not been deployed, BOR cannot be considered to have overtaken another car under Safety Car conditions."

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Bortoleto slapped with 10-second time penalty

However, despite making that admission, the FIA still punished Bortoleto for overtaking under yellow flags.

The Brazilian driver was given a 10-second penalty, dropping him from P13 down to P15.

"BOR confirmed that he had seen the Yellow Flags but explained that, because they were displayed together with the SC boards, he understood them to be part of the same Safety Car indication and therefore considered that they were no longer relevant once he had been informed that the Safety Car had not been deployed," the FIA explained.

"The Stewards do not accept this interpretation. A waved Yellow Flag is an instruction in its own right and must be respected irrespective of any accompanying signal. A driver cannot disregard a Yellow Flag based on his own assessment as to why it has been displayed or whether it should have been displayed. The 2026 FIA practice likewise treats Yellow Flag indications as requiring compliance even where the surrounding circumstances are unusual.

"Accordingly, notwithstanding the understandable confusion concerning the SC boards, BOR had seen the waved Yellow Flags and nevertheless overtook PER while the Yellow Flag condition remained in effect. The Stewards therefore determine that BOR overtook another car under Yellow Flag conditions."

"The Stewards acknowledge that the erroneous SC indications and the conflicting information contributed to the circumstances of the incident. However, these circumstances do not remove the obligation to respect a waved Yellow Flag, and the Stewards therefore apply the standard penalty for overtaking under a Single Yellow Flag."

READ MORE: Lando Norris calls for FIA bans after Azerbaijan GP crash: 'Not driving that deserves to be in F1'

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