Aston lose fourteen points as Spain verdicts widen Williams' BOTT lead

Aston Martin's pursuit of Williams has become harder after the Spain FIA verdicts removed fourteen BOTT points from their weekend, costing Capybara his first IMS podium and Hotshot fourth place in E3.

Williams had led by just three points after racing finished in Barcelona. That advantage is now twenty-one: their two E3 cars gain four points between them, while Aston's losses across two divisions outweigh the promotions of Raptorr and Alfie.

Capybara's podium becomes Ferrari's

Capybara had recovered from sixth on the grid to second in Zozo's debut win, giving Aston both remaining podium places. Five seconds for keeping an off-track advantage over piastrigoat undo that result.

The stewards found that Capybara cut Turns 1 and 2 and retained the position gained. Lag did not excuse keeping the advantage, and piastrigoat subsequently gaining a place when Karl ran wide did not count as Capybara returning it.

The Aston falls to fifth, only 0.055 seconds behind Karl's Cadillac. Raptorr moves up to second and piastrigoat inherits third, leaving Capybara still waiting for his first podium. He also receives one penalty point for the off-track gain and two for failing to supply onboard footage.

Raptorr's promotion limits Aston's loss, but a forty-two-point D0 return becomes thirty-six. They still outscore Zozo's thirty-one for Williams; the more damaging change within the division is Ferrari gaining four points as Aston lose six. A thirty-six-point constructors' lead is reduced to twenty-six.

Williams benefit from Hotshot's costly last corner

Aston lose another eight points overall in E3, where Hotshot's final-corner move earns ten seconds and two penalty points. The stewards judged his attempt overambitious after contact involving Ceetee and Turnip, and ruled that ghosting did not excuse the move.

Hotshot had already accepted responsibility:

Fourth becomes ninth. Brystaroz and Turnip move up to fourth and fifth for Williams, while Ceetee and Tullo's promotions give Red Bull the same four-point improvement. Alfie rises to seventh, recovering two of the ten points lost through his Aston team-mate.

Brystaroz also gets his own three-second penalty removed after the game issued two warnings, 0.20 seconds apart, for one continuous excursion. L3on keeps third with three seconds removed for a warning received while taking avoiding action. The Ferrari's podium had originally survived by just 0.232 seconds over Hotshot; he now finishes 0.848 seconds behind Paddle.

Audi's one-two is untouched, but their closest constructors' challenger changes. Williams move onto forty-eight points, one ahead of Red Bull, while Aston fall to fourth on thirty-nine. Audi lead on sixty-five.

That improvement also strengthens Williams' BOTT position. Their E3 pairing supply all four points gained through the verdicts, extending a lead they had already taken from Cadillac on the track.

Team	Spain verdict change	BOTT total after R2
Williams	+4	279
Aston Martin	−14	258
Cadillac	+1	221
Ferrari	+4	156
Audi	0	154
Red Bull	+4	116
VCARB	0	109
Mercedes	0	69
Alpine	+1	47
McLaren	0	39
Haas	0	16

Ferrari move two points ahead of Audi for fourth in BOTT. Cadillac's gain is smaller: Karl's D0 promotion brings two points, but Opts loses one after a five-second penalty for contact with L3on that gained him the position. He drops to eleventh in E3, behind ash2811.

Forestal finds the same trouble in two divisions

The biggest time penalty belongs to Wadz, whose late move inside Forestal at Turn 5 in D0 earns twenty seconds and four penalty points. He hit the VCARB's rear quarter and spun it, in a move the stewards found uncontrolled and highly avoidable.

Forestal then suffered another spin at Turn 5 in D2, this time during OnlineGuy's counterattack. A second division had offered surprisingly little change of scenery.

OnlineGuy receives ten seconds and two penalty points for the collision. His retirement converts the time sanction into one further penalty point, with two more for missing footage taking the total to five.

Neither decision improves Forestal's classification. Wadz remains fourteenth behind him in D0, while OnlineGuy's retirement had already left him outside the points in D2. Forestal's two upheld complaints leave him thirteenth and eleventh, with no extra points for VCARB.