Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz Jnr have been given reprimands for their roles in the incident in qualifying which led to eight drivers failing to set a time.

The trio ran at the front of the pack at the beginning of Q3 at a comparatively slow pace. That contributed to eighth of the nine drivers on the track failing to set a time. Sainz was the only one who did.

In the cases of all three drivers, the stewards noted they admitted they had driven “unnecessarily slowly” during their out-laps because they wanted to get a slipstream from other cars. The stewards ruled all three “played a significant role in the banking up of cars at a critical stage of the final out lap for Q3”.

The stewards added they “strongly recommend that the FIA expedite a solution to this type of situation.”

Hulkenberg said the situation arose because all the drivers were trying to get in position to take a slistream from another car.

“We’re all looking for a tow, obviously, because if you want to do the ultimate, fastest time, that’s what you need around here,” he said. “Just so much lap time and so powerful.

“When you drive on your own you just lose on the straights and you can’t make up that time in the corners, basically. Hence we ended up with this conditions.

“To some extent it’s just down to the cars as well because the tow effect is massive. But of course it was a bit weird and strange, for sure, that last out-lap.”

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2019 F1 season