Nico Hulkenberg’s impressive qualifying result at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been overshadowed by a three-place grid penalty.

The Haas driver had secured P4, his best starting position of the season, but will now start the race from P7 after stewards found he broke the race director’s instructions.

After the session, stewards called him in over allegations that he overtook two cars in the tunnel section of the pit-lane exit. While Hulkenberg admitted to breaching the rules, he explained that he felt he had no other choice to complete his flying lap.

However, the stewards explained in their statement that despite “the position of the team’s garages limits their options to send the cars out on track, this can never be used as an excuse to breach any regulations”.

This penalty is a blow for Haas, who are locked in a tight battle with Alpine for sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Trailing Alpine by five points, Hulkenberg’s strong qualifying could have given the team a valuable advantage. However, with the penalty, Pierre Gasly moves up to P5, George Russell takes P6, and Hulkenberg will start further back, alongside Fernando Alonso.