Renault have been hit with a €10,000 fine, suspended until the end of the season, following a tyre mix-up during first free practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The stewards found that Nico Hulkenberg's car was fitted with mismatched tyres from different sets, but the problem was only discovered later in the day as the German driver stopped out on circuit with an issue, meaning the tyres weren't returned until after the session.
"The team mixed two left front tyres from two different sets in their garage. As a result, a mixed set was used in FP1," explained the stewards statement. "As the car stopped on circuit during the session, the tyres were not scanned back into the pits by the scruitineers. This prevented the error from being discovered in FP1.
"That first set was returned electronically after FP1. However three of the tyres that were registered in the first set were actually in the second set, which was then used in FP2. The team then realised their error, and reported this to the scrutineer as these were scanned."
The stewards gave a number of reasons why the fine was suspended.
"As all the tyres were of the same ultra soft specification; no extra tyres were used in either session; the correct number of tyres were returned after FP1, if not the correct tyres; there was no advantaged gained; and because the team reported the error themselves; the Stewards took these matters in mitigation and issued a fine of €10,000 which is suspended for the remainder of the season."
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