Diriyya E-Prix: All Formula E penalties of the race weekend at a glance

Formula E will hold its second race weekend in 2023 with the Diriyya E-Prix. In Saudi Arabia, it is once again the task of the FIA Race Commissioners to monitor compliance with the Technical and Sporting Regulations. In the event of a breach of the rules, it is their job to determine the level of penalties.

At the Diriyya E-Prix, Hasan Abdali, Tomas Kunc and Achim Loth will take on this job. They will be supported by ex-racing driver Pedro Lamy, who has never competed in a Formula E race but has plenty of experience in GT and endurance racing. As usual, below you will find a list of all the decisions made by the commissioners during the 2023 Diriyya E-Prix.

Penalties in the shakedown

• Sacha Fenestraz was fined 1,000 euros because his front-engine car was recuperating more than the maximum 250 kW allowed. This is not a fault of the driver, but a problem with the software of the race car.
.
• Rene Rast also received a fine of 1,000 euros, because his car with the front engine recuperated more than the maximum allowed 250 kW. Since Rast, just like Fenestraz, drives with a Nissan powertrain, a connection with a software update is likely. In Mexico City, there had not yet been any violations of this rule.

Penalties in free practice on Friday

.

• Kelvin van der Linde received another fine of 1,000 euros in the 1st Free Practice, because his car had called more than the maximum allowed 300 kW power from the battery in race mode.
• Norman Nato received a fine of 1,600 euros in the 2nd Free Practice, because he had driven too fast in the pit lane. Instead of the permitted 50 km/h, the Nissan driver was caught at 66.1 km/h. Because he had exceeded the speed limit so significantly, he also received a penalty point on his racing license.

Penalties in Friday's qualifying session

.

• Sergio Sette Camara received a demotion penalty of three grid positions for obstructing Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein on a fast lap. The Brazilian also received two more penalty points on his race license, which already puts him at eight points. At twelve points, a race suspension will be imposed.

#DiriyahEPrix: @sergiosettecama gets a 3 places grid penalty for impeding @PWehrlein during qualifying #ABBFormulaE #FormulaE @eFORMELde pic.twitter.com/kq0pQA7GeW

- Tobias Wirtz (@tobiw_apex) January 27, 2023

Penalties in Friday's race

• Mitch Evans received a five-second time penalty for pushing Rene Rast's McLaren off the track at the start of the first corner. This penalty dropped him from eighth to tenth place at the finish. The Jaguar driver also received two penalty points on his race license.

Penalties after Friday's race

• Porsche was fined 1,000 euros for having a mechanic working on the car during Antonio Felix da Costa's pit stop without wearing a helmet. This is mandatory since the start of this season.

Penalties in free practice on Saturday

.

• Nico Müller received a warning in the 3rd Free Practice, because the tire pressure on his ABT Cupra was below the prescribed minimum value. Why in this case - a clear offense of the team - the driver receives a warning, we do not know. With three warnings in a season, a driver automatically receives a demotion of ten positions in the next race.
.
• Andre Lotterer also received a warning for falling below the minimum pressure in his Hankook tires.
• All good things come in threes: Sergio Sette Camara was also warned for underinflating his tires.
• Mahindra Racing was fined 500 euros because one of its mechanics was not wearing the mandatory yellow wristband on his arm as required, in plain view.

Penalties in Saturday's race

.

• Stoffel Vandoorne was retrospectively given a drive-through penalty, which was converted into a 24-second time penalty, for activating Attack Mode only once. The regulations stipulate that it must be activated twice. The DS Penske driver therefore dropped from eleventh to 20th place.