Inside the opening 10 minutes of the day’s sole practice, Liam Lawson’s car ground to a halt with a hydraulic-related issue and brought out the red flag.
Cars are fitted with a Clutch Disengagement System (CDS) that works as an emergency release.
The system allows trackside marshals to bypass any hydraulic or electrical issues and puts the car into neutral so that it can be moved.
However, in that instance, the system on the #30 VCARB 03 did not work.
According to the FIA stewards report, Racing Bulls had been warned about its system.
The team was fined 30,000 euros for the infringement for a breach of Article C9.3, of which 20,000 euros is suspended subject to no further breach of the regulation by the competitor for either of its cars.
One of team’s engineers explained that the system performs two roles – one for its primary intended use to release the clutch when the car has stopped and the engine is not working, and the other relates to the car’s anti-stall system.
“In this case, a ruptured joint caused a hydraulic leak, which caused the car to stop. The CDS, when activated by the marshal, then failed to release the clutch and hence the car could not be moved. This is a serious matter,” the stewards report read in-part.
“It resulted in the session being red-flagged. Had the system worked as intended by the regulations, the incident could have been dealt with swiftly via deployment of the Virtual Safety Car.
“The Stewards note the concern of the FIA Technical Delegate, over the dual purpose of the CDS on this car. The Technical Delegate advised that the team had, in 2025, been warned about the CDS system design for its cars.”
The clutch disengagement system is marked on the chassis facing upwards so that it can be easily accessed.
It was noted in the report that a trackside marshal tried to push a button on the onboard camera – thinking it was the CDS button – which highlights a training shortcoming.
“This indicates to the Stewards that further training in this area is required, notwithstanding the fact that the FIA distributes a very clear document addressing this action. (ref “FIA Single Seater Recovery Specifications”),” the report continued.
“We note that it is obvious that the distribution of such a document, although well detailed, probably needs supplementing with some form of practical training by the organisers.”
F1 continues with the sprint on Sunday at 2:00am AEST. That will be followed by qualifying at 6:00am AEST for Monday’s grand prix.
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