Audi fined €12,500 after two FIA breaches on Mexico Friday

Audi's Mexican GP Friday ended with €12,500 in FIA fines after two separate breaches. The team was punished for an unsafe FP1 release and for trying to conceal a floor change in FP2.

Why it matters:

The sums are small for an F1 team, but the rulings underline how tightly the FIA controls operational procedures. For Audi, the bigger cost was lost track time as it establishes itself.

The details:

• Audi was fined €7,500 after Freddie Slater left the pits in FP1 with a cooling fan still attached. The team pitted him quickly, and stewards accepted he was unaware. The fan stayed on, but the FIA said it could have fallen, citing a similar case in Australia.
• A €5,000 fine followed for breaching Article B3.3.1. Audi moved Gabriel Bortoleto's floor between garages under a large sheet, then used another sheet to block the view while mechanics worked underneath the car.
• Audi explained its garages were separated by a third, forcing the floor through a visible area. The stewards acknowledged the layout but said it was no exemption.
• The floor change limited Bortoleto to 12 laps in FP2; he was slowest of the 22 drivers. Nico Hulkenberg was P15, 1.196s off Charles Leclerc.

What's next:

Audi needs a cleaner Saturday, operationally and on track, after a compromised start in Mexico.