Nico Hulkenberg will start from the front row of the grid in the Austrian Grand Prix after avoiding a penalty following a stewards investigation.

During Q1, Hulkenberg improved his personal best first sector time despite double waved yellow flags as a result of Carlos Sainz having stopped on the straight between Turn 1 and Turn 2. The incident was under investigation by the stewards, which continued until after the end of qualifying.

Hulkenberg managed to secure an impressive third place in qualifying as a result of a drying track in Q3 and will start from second following Nico Rosberg’s grid penalty.

“Although the driver went “green” in the sector where the double yellow flags were displayed, the telemetry clearly demonstrated that he had decelerated on approaching the flag point and that his speed reduced in the yellow flag sector,” the stewards’ decision read.

While Hulkenberg escaped penalty, both Jolyon Palmer and Rio Haryanto received three-place grid penalties for failing to slow under the yellow flags. As a result, Palmer will start from 20th on the grid and Haryanto 21st, while they also receive two penalty points each.

Felipe Nasr qualified last but was also hit with a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow under the yellow flags, while he too picked up two penalty points. Kevin Magnussen escaped punishment after the same investigation.

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