Tsunoda keeps Italian GP point after stewards clear him of start-procedure breach

Yuki Tsunoda will keep the point he scored for 10th place at the Italian Grand Prix after Formula 1 stewards cleared him of a start-procedure infringement at Monza, ruling that the Racing Bulls driver had not gained any advantage from his awkward grid position at the lap-six restart.

The investigation stemmed from the standing restart that followed a red flag on lap two, triggered by Charles Leclerc’s accident. As Tsunoda took up his 14th grid slot, his car appeared to be parked at an angle pointing toward the pitwall rather than sitting squarely in the box. Race control was sufficiently concerned to order an additional formation lap, with stewards reserving the right to examine the incident after the race under an alleged breach of Article B5.9.4 of the FIA F1 Regulations — Start Procedure.

Tsunode explained the confusion himself. He had initially moved toward the left-hand side of the grid, believing he was starting 15th, before realising he needed to cross the track and line up on the right in the 14th slot. “I was a bit confused starting between 14th and 15th,” he said. “In my view, I didn’t really gain the position before the red flag. I thought I was 15th. But at least I parked behind the box, pretty far, so I don’t think I gained any advantage for that.”

Stewards reviewed footage from multiple camera angles and agreed. Their verdict confirmed that Tsunoda had positioned his car correctly within the grid box and that no other competitor was affected. Crucially, the decision to add an extra formation lap was made at the race director’s discretion and was not deemed to have been directly caused by Tsunoda or his team — meaning there was no basis to send him to the pitlane or impose a stop-and-go penalty.

The point carries particular significance for Tsunoda, who lost his regular Racing Bulls seat at the end of last season and moved into a reserve role at Red Bull. He returned to his former team as a stand-in for Liam Lawson, who himself stepped up to Red Bull to cover for the injured Isack Hadjar. The Monza result was Tsunoda’s first championship point of the season in just his second race back with the team.