Hülkenberg penalised after Silverstone Sprint for "leaving the track" and "gaining a lasting advantage

Hülkenberg in the pit-lane during the British Grand Prix weekend | Credit: Formula One

After an incident was noted during Saturday's sprint, it has been announced that Audi's Nico Hülkenberg has been given a five-second time penalty "for leaving the track" and as a result having "gained a lasting advantage". As a result of the penalty, the German driver who crossed the line in 13th will drop to 15th.

The incident in question occurred on Lap 1 of the sprint as Hülkenberg and Haas' Esteban Ocon, the other car involved, approached Turn 9. In the view of the stewards, it was clear to see that "Car 27 was defending position against Car 31" which they indeed took into consideration. Additionally, the stewards also accepted that "avoiding action with Car 31 was a relevant factor" in the Audi driver leaving the track however additional data gave the stewards something else to consider.

Hülkenberg pled his case with the stewards that he only "sought to avoid a collision" and therefore went off-track as a result of trying to "leave room" for Ocon, ensuring that both drivers were safe as they battled for track position . Upon reviewing the data available to them, the stewards came to the alternative conclusion that it was in fact "excessive speed [going] into the corner" which determined the German driver's off-track excursion as opposed to just being because of "avoiding action".

The announcement acknowledged that "Car 31 passed Car 27 one lap later in a genuine overtaking manouvere" however this was not enough in the eyes of the stewards. Therefore, they thought it was important to "impose a 5 second time penalty" to avoid other drivers repeating a similar course of action.

Even though the Audi driver was not running in the top-eight during the sprint, the long-awaited hunt for points in 2026 continues for the first-time podium finisher at the 2025 British Grand Prix. As always, the verdict from the stewards was followed with a statement that drivers and teams "have the right to appeal certains decisions of the stewards".