The Brazilian had finished eleventh in the sprint race, but the stewards stripped him of the position. The engine of his car exceeded the allowed air intake pressure limit (4.8 bar absolute), Hülkenberg had already been left unable to start due to a fire in his car.
The Audi team lived a day to forget at the Miami Grand Prix, what was already a complicated Saturday ended with a disqualification that leaves the German team without any representative in the official classification of the sprint race.
Gabriel Bortoleto, who had crossed the finish line in eleventh place in the 100 kilometer race, was excluded from the results after the technical stewards detected an irregularity in his car, during the post sprint checks, the FIA inspectors verified that the air intake pressure of the Brazilian's engine had exceeded the maximum regulatory limit.
Article C5.3.2 of the Formula 1 technical regulations is clear on this point: "The engine air intake pressure must be below 4.8 bar absolute at all times," the measurement is carried out using two devices approved and sealed by the FIA, through which all the air destined for combustion must flow, in the case of Bortoleto's Audi, that limit was breached.
Jo Bauer, the FIA technical delegate, was in charge of submitting the report to the stewards, in the subsequent hearing, the representatives of the Audi team acknowledged that the technical delegate's finding was correct. As a mitigating factor, they explained that the infringement occurred during a single lap, when the engine temperatures rose more than expected, they added that, as soon as they detected the anomaly, they took measures to correct it and return the pressure to permitted levels.
The stewards were forceful in their decision, while they recognized the team's efforts to correct the situation, they recalled that the regulations require the car to comply "at all times," as this was not the case, they applied the usual sanction for this type of technical infringement: the disqualification of car number 5 from the sprint classification.
Bortoleto's exclusion further aggravates a weekend that had already started badly for Audi, before even the lights went out for the sprint race, Nico Hülkenberg was left unable to start, the German's car caught fire during the reconnaissance laps, which forced the team to withdraw it from the grid.
Thus, Audi closes Saturday's proceedings in Miami with no driver in the official classification. For Bortoleto, the disqualification is a hard blow after having completed a race with no apparent incidents. The Brazilian, who had scored Audi's first points in Formula 1 in Australia, will have to wait for Sunday's race to try to make amends, the German team, for its part, will have to explain how a temporary thermal anomaly led to a regulatory infringement that has cost them dearly.