Summons issued for alleged yellow flag rules breach ahead of qualifying in Azerbaijan

Nico Hulkenberg heads into qualifying in Baku under a cloud, as he’s been summoned before the stewards for an alleged yellow flag infringement.

The Sauber driver will visit the stewards after the qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, having been summoned for an alleged breach of the rules during third practice.

Nico Hulkenberg summoned in Azerbaijan

Hulkenberg will visit the stewards at 1740 local time in Baku, shortly after the end of the qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The German, together with a Sauber representative, has been called to the FIA stewards on the grounds of an alleged breach of Appendix H, Article 2.5.5 b) of the International Sporting Code.

This pertains to an incident in which he is alleged to have overtaken under yellow flag conditions at 13:33.

This came three minutes after the scheduled conclusion of the third practice session.

Hulkenberg finished in 12th place in the session, meaning a potential grid penalty imposed could be costly for any chance of points this weekend should he be found guilty.

Just moments into the qualifying session, Hulkenberg made gentle contact with the barriers in the third sector, but was able to continue his session without damage.

However, a few minutes later, Hulkenberg brought out the red flags as he crashed his Sauber at Turn 4. Carrying slightly too much speed into the corner, his last-minute attempt to abort the corner and take to the escape area just saw him slide into the barriers and lose his front wing.

While reversing out, the stewards opted to red flag the session in order to clean up the debris from Hulkenberg’s car. The German driver did return to the pits and, in theory, could rejoin the session if his car can be repaired in time in the final minutes of the session.

This story will be updated.

Read Next: Azerbaijan Grand Prix future secured as Formula 1 announces new long-term deal