Departure from the pits for Magnussen and de Vries at the Austrian Grand Prix
The Haas drivers, Kevin Magnussen and AlphaTauri's Nyck de Vries, will start from the pit lane this Sunday for the main race of the Austrian Grand Prix in Formula 1. Both teams have decided to make changes to their cars.
The FIA, International Automobile Federation, has indicated that Nyck de Vries and Kevin Magnussen had their cars modified last night by the respective mechanics of AlphaTauri and Haas. These modifications involve starting from the pit lane. However, the drivers behind do not gain any positions.
Nyck de Vries has seen his car equipped with a third electronic unit and a third battery since the beginning of the season. These changes have been made without the approval of the FIA. The suspension has also been modified, as well as the rear wings.
The power unit has been changed and the settings have been modified in Parc Fermé without the approval of the technical delegates. The wing has been replaced with a wing previously used in qualifying. These changes mean that the driver will have to start from the pit lane as required by Article 40.9 of the FIA sporting regulations, explains the FIA statement.
On his side, Kevin Magnussen will also have to start from the pit lane for having changed his suspension settings under Parc Fermé.
« The car had its settings modified under the Parc Fermé regime with the approval of the technical delegates after a written request. The suspension was adjusted for settings used during qualifying. As stated in article 40.9 of the sporting regulations, the driver must start the race from the pit lane. » also explains the statement.