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The German manufacturer notified the FIA of its intention to appeal after the stewards took no further action against Tsunoda over the additional formation lap that preceded the restart following Charles Leclerc’s early crash. Tsunoda had been due to line up 14th but initially approached the wrong side of the grid before moving across to his correct position. Although the Racing Bulls was ultimately inside its designated grid box, it was left sitting at an angle towards the pit wall, prompting race director Rui Marques to abandon the start and send the field away for another formation lap. The incident centred on Article B5.9.4 of the 2026 Formula 1 sporting regulations, which requires a driver deemed responsible for an extra formation lap to enter the pit lane at the end of that lap and subsequently start from there. Tsunoda instead remained on the grid, leaving him potentially exposed to a stop-and-go penalty. However, the stewards sided with Racing Bulls following a post-race investigation, determining that Tsunoda had been correctly positioned inside his grid box and that no rival had been affected. They also considered the additional formation lap to have been triggered by the race director’s caution rather than directly by Tsunoda, while neither the driver nor Racing Bulls had been informed that they were regarded as responsible for it. “The extra formation lap resulted from the Race Director’s assessment of the situation, rather than being directly caused by the driver of Car 22,” the stewards said. They also ruled that Racing Bulls had no reason to order Tsunoda into the pits given the information available to it at the time. “The team, based on the fact that the car was positioned within its starting grid box in compliance with the regulations, had, in our determination, no reason to instruct its driver to enter and start from the Pit Lane,” the stewards added. Audi has now disputed the application of that regulation and moved to preserve its right to challenge the verdict. “Following the Italian Grand Prix, we raised a concern regarding the application of Article B5.9.4, which requires a driver who causes an extra formation lap to enter the pit lane and resume the race from there,” Audi said in a statement. “The Stewards issued a decision of No Further Action, and we have notified our intention to appeal. As the matter is now subject to the FIA appeal process, we will not comment further at this stage.” The notification gives Audi a further 96 hours to determine whether to formally proceed with the appeal. Any successful challenge could have a direct impact on the points-paying positions. An unserved stop-and-go penalty would ordinarily be converted into a 30-second post-race sanction, which would drop Tsunoda from 10th and elevate Bortoleto from 11th into the final points position. Tsunoda’s result was his first point since returning to Racing Bulls and came in just his second race back with the Faenza squad. The Japanese driver lost his full-time seat at the end of last season but returned to Racing Bulls as a stand-in for Liam Lawson, who has temporarily moved to Red Bull in place of the injured Isack Hadjar. Tsunoda had restarted 14th at Monza before making progress during the race, eventually securing 10th and the final championship point ahead of Bortoleto.