Aston Martin protested against the qualifying result in Shanghai after Ferrari's Carlos Sainz rejoined Q2 after spinning off the track.
Sainz was stationary for 77 seconds after tapping the wall coming out of the final corner, but the Spaniard managed to get going again and advanced to Q3 at the expense of Aston driver Lance Stroll.
As its driver was eliminated, Aston decided to protest the results based on article 39.6 of the F1 sporting regulations, which states that "any driver whose car stops on the track during the qualifying session or the sprint qualifying session shootout will not be permitted to take any further part in that session.”
The stewards dismissed the protest as it had been clear from previous instances that the rule is only intended for cars that re-join a qualifying session after having received outside assistance from marshals or recovery vehicles, while Sainz continued under his own power.
But the incident re-opened a discussion about tidying up the rulebook, as previously it was agreed that the outside assistance element should be added to 39.6, though the amendment didn't make it into the 2024 sporting regulations.
"It's just clarifying things and, in the end, a lot of discussion with the stewards and you've got to respect the decisions they've come to," Aston Martin's performance director Tom McCullough explained.
Source: Autosport