FIA reaches ruling after Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg are summoned before the stewards

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg were both called up by the stewards for various incidents during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Hamilton was investigated for an alleged unsafe release after pit equipment at Mercedes was knocked over as the seven-time world champion left his garage, while Hulkenberg was investigated for allegedly failing to follow the race director’s instructions in the pit lane – a verdict has been reached in both cases.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg both called up to Austrian GP stewards

Mercedes was fined €5,000 after Hamilton left the garage dragging a jack and an exhaust gas cleaner behind him. The team immediately informed him that he had caused no damage.

As for Haas, they were reprimanded by the team, with their driver being sent onto the fast lane without a “suitable gap to blend into”, meaning he effectively forced his way through the group of cars trying to exit the pit lane.

Hulkenberg appeared to enter the fast lane of the pit lane twice in breach of pre-arranged instructions, forcing Alex Albon and then Sergio Perez to wait until the Haas driver had left the garage. The reprimand came specifically for the incident with Albon.

As for Hamilton, he left the garage with an accident that blew his equipment over. No one appeared to be injured as he headed out to the Red Bull Ring circuit.

Hulkenberg was called to the stewards for two separate alleged infringements, against Albon and Perez respectively, after already being given a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points for forcing Fernando Alonso off the track during the earlier sprint session on Saturday.

More from the Austrian Grand Prix weekend so far

2024 Austrian Grand Prix – Qualifying Results (Red Bull Ring, Spielberg)

Max Verstappen: Christian Horner/Jos Verstappen ‘scenario could have been prevented’

Hamilton qualified his Mercedes fifth for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, with Hulkenberg having made it to Q3 ahead of Haas and put his car ninth on the grid for Sunday’s race.

Max Verstappen took pole position for Red Bull, four-tenths ahead of the rest and thus P1, ahead of Lando Norris. Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, George Russell, started third.

Read the following: Austrian GP: Max Verstappen storms to pole position after closest Q1 in F1 history