Hulkenberg originally finished the race in 13th place, but he was later disqualified after his car failed a post-race inspection. The FIA’s technical team found that the plank underneath his car was too worn down, which goes against the rules.

According to the regulations, the plank must be at least 9 mm thick in three key spots. However, on Hülkenberg’s car, the measurements were 8.4 mm on the left, 8.5 mm in the middle, and 8.4 mm on the right, which is all below the minimum limit.

The team accepted the measurements and confirmed that all procedures were done correctly. They explained it was an honest mistake. But because the car didn’t meet the required standards, the stewards had no choice but to disqualify him. A similar issue happened to Lewis Hamilton in China just a few weeks earlier.

Since Hulkenberg wasn’t in the points to begin with, the disqualification won’t be too much of a blow for him. However, it still results in every driver behind him moving up a place in the final standings. Isack Hadjar was promoted to 14th, Jack Doohan to 15th, Fernando Alonso to 16th, Liam Lawson to 17th, Lance Stroll to 18th, and Gabriel Bortoleto to 19th.

The full statement from the FIA read: 

“The plank assembly of Car 27 was measured and found to be 8.4mm (LHS), 8.5mm (car centerline) and 8.4mm (RHS),” a statement from the stewards read. 

“This is below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 e) of the Technical Regulations.

“During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. The team also acknowledged that it was a genuine error by the team.

“The Stewards determine that Article 3.5.9 e) of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard penalty of a disqualification needs to be applied for such an infringement.”