Kimi Raikkonen was excluded from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying result on race day, when his Alfa Romeo Formula 1 car failed a test designed to prevent excessive front-wing flexing.
Raikkonen was due to start Sunday’s race eighth, but was forced to take a pitlane start as Alfa Romeo changed the specification of the front wing flap adjuster after FIA stewards declared the wing had “deflected more than 5mm under a load of 60N”.
Jake Boxall-Legge joins Glenn Freeman to explain how the front wing failed, and the confusing chain of events before and after that test took place.
While the story behind the decision does not make total sense, the outcome could serve as a warning shot to all teams as F1 adapts to a new era following the death of the FIA’s Charlie Whiting on the eve of the 2019 season.