The Formula 1 stewards have disqualified Esteban Ocon from qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Post-race checks on the Frenchman's Haas car found that the rear wing main plane tip did not comply with the sport's technical regulations and so the matter was referred to the stewards.

FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer discovered the irregularity during post-race checks on Ocon's car. The Frenchman did not appear at the hearing to go over the matter and, in his absence, the stewards disqualified him from the final qualifying classification.

The stewards said: "The FIA representatives described the test procedure used and reported that the distance between the two sections [of rear wing parts] varied by more than the permitted 0.5mm (0.6mm on the left side and 0.825mm on the right side). The calibration of the measuring instrument was verified and valid.

"The team conceded that the test procedure as outlined in the regulations had been followed and explained that the discrepancy was a result of a problem with the production of the assembly of this specific part. The Stewards determine that the vehicle does not comply with the regulations and hence impose the usual penalty of disqualification from the qualifying classifications."

In truth, that will make little difference to his chances of scoring points after a difficult qualifying for Haas. Ocon had qualified down in 18th place with only Pierre Gasly, who had to abandon his final flying lap, and Alex Albon, who crashed out, below him on the timesheets.

It did not got much better for his team-mate Oliver Bearman, who could only steer the other Haas to 15th on the grid. It was a chaotic session for everyone with six red flags - a new record for a Grand Prix qualifying session in F1 history - while qualifying took two hours overall from start to finish.

In the end, Max Verstappen was the one at the top of the timesheets. Several big names fell victim to the chaos and that allowed for a very mixed-up starting grid for Sunday's race, with Carlos Sainz a surprise starter on the front row alongside Verstappen in his Williams.

Championship leader Oscar Piastri was one of those who crashed out, presenting McLaren team-mate and title rival Lando Norris with the opportunity to take a chunk out of his lead at the top of the standings. But the Brit could not capitalised and only qualified seventh, meaning he will start Sunday's race just two places ahead of Piastri.

Charles Leclerc also crashed out in Q3, while Lewis Hamilton did not even get that far. The seven-time champion was overruled by Ferrari on a tyre decision and he paid the price, managing to only go 12th fastest in Q2 and failing to book his place in the top 10.