Haas saw Ocon’s qualifying effort for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix wiped from the F1 record books, after the Frenchman’s car failed a key FIA technical check.
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- Ocon’s Haas rear wing flexed beyond the 0.5mm limit.
- FIA stewards ruled the car non-compliant and disqualified him.
- Gasly and Albon move up to 18th and 19th on the grid.
Esteban Ocon originally clocked in 18th, but during the mandatory post-session parc fermé inspections, FIA scrutineers discovered an illegal flex in his rear wing assembly. Specifically, the main plane of the wing was found to deflect beyond the 0.5mm threshold permitted under Article 3.15.17 of the technical regulations.
Summoned alongside his Haas team to the stewards at 19:45 local time, Ocon’s fate was effectively sealed once the breach was confirmed. The inevitable penalty—disqualification from qualifying—was duly handed down.
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That reshuffle nudged Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon up a spot each, now slotting into 18th and 19th on the provisional grid.
The stewards’ decision, laid out in detail, reads as follows:
The Stewards’ Verdict on Ocon’s Disqualification
“The Stewards heard from the team representative of Car 31 and the Haas Head of Car Engineering, plus the FIA Technical Delegate and FIA Deputy Technical Delegate.
“The driver (Esteban Ocon) was excused from the hearing.
“The FIA representatives described the test procedure used and reported that the distance between the two sections of RV-RW-PROFILES and RV-RW-TIP inboard of Y=525 varied by more than the permitted 0.5mm (0.6mm on the left side and 0.825mm on the right side).
“The calibration of the measuring instrument was verified and valid. The team conceded that the test procedure, as outlined in the regulations, had been followed and explained that the discrepancy was a result of a problem with the production of the assembly of this specific part.
“The Stewards determine that the vehicle does not comply with the regulations and hence impose the usual penalty of disqualification from the Qualifying classifications.”
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