The German had finished 13th but was scrubbed from the classification after his Sauber was found with excessive plank wear.
Checks during post-race scrutineering revealed Hulkenberg’s car had worn the underside beyond the allowable limit.
“The plank assembly of Car 27 was measured and found to be 8.4mm (LHS), 8.5mm (car centerline) and 8.4mm (RHS),” officials noted in the penalty report.
“This is below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 e) of the Technical Regulations.”
As a technical breach, the punishment was disqualification from the race.
Hulkenberg is the third driver in a week to fall foul of plank wear regulations, with both Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly sprung at last month’s Japanese Grand Prix for the same infraction.
The exclusion sees all drivers who finished behind Hulkenberg gain one position in the classification.
However, given the 38-year-old was only 13th at the chequered flag, the outcome had little impact.
Updated Bahrain GP Race Results
| Pos | Num | Driver | Team | Laps/Diff |
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren – Mercedes | 57 Laps |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | + 15.499s |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren – Mercedes | + 16.273s |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | + 19.679s |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | + 27.993s |
| 6 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull – Honda | + 34.395s |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine – Renault | + 36.002s |
| 8 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas – Ferrari | + 44.244s |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull – Honda | + 45.061s |
| 10 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas – Ferrari | + 47.594s |
| 11 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | + 48.016s |
| 12 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams – Mercedes | + 48.839s |
| 13 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls – Honda | + 56.314s |
| 14 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine – Renault | + 57.806s |
| 15 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin – Mercedes | + 60.34s |
| 16 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls – Honda | + 64.435s |
| 17 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin – Mercedes | + 65.489s |
| 18 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber – Ferrari | + 66.872s |
| 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams – Mercedes | + 12Ls | |
| 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber – Ferrari |
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