Sebastian Vettel has been handed a five-place grid drop which will see him start his debut race with Aston Martin from the back of the grid.
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Vettel struggled for pace during qualifying in his AMR21, and his final lap in Q1 was compromised by yellow flags.
The stewards noted that Vettel had already passed the signal panel near turn one when it went yellow, but he should have known to slow down more than he did.
“Vettel did not abandon his lap. He explained that he saw the smoke ahead of him but was unsure if it was a lock-up or a stopped car until he was quite close to the car and the smoke was lifting,” the stewards said on Sunday.
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They added that Vettel “had already passed the signal panel when it was illuminated as he approached the scene, and that the marshals in that turn had not yet reacted with a yellow flag.
“Nevertheless Vettel was approaching a car that was stopped sideways on the track and by the rule this would necessitate a double yellow flag.”
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Vettel has been slapped with a five-place grid drop and three penalty points on his Super Licence for the infringement.
He will therefore start the Bahrain Grand Prix in P20, with Haas drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin being elevated to 18th and 19th, respectively.
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