Nico Rosberg under investigation for possible breach of regulations during British GP

German Formula One driver for Mercedes Nico Rosberg is under investigation following his second place finish in the British Grand Prix due to a possible breach in regulations.

Sky Sports reports that Rosberg’s radio conversation with his race engineer in the closing stages of the Silverstone may have violated regulations.

The organizers will be focusing on whether Rosberg received too much information from his race engineer when his race car experienced a gearbox glitch in the late stages of the race.

Motorsport.com released a transcription of Rosberg’s radio conversation with his engineer, which shows the German racer was receiving instructions on what he should do with the gearbox issue.

The race engineer instructed Rosberg to “avoid seventh gear” and affirmed that he “need to shift through it.”

The instructions appear to F1’s radio restrictions, which states that drivers are only supposed to receive instructions when a car-stopping problem is imminent.

Rosberg, though, argued that what he experienced was a “critical problem” because he “was stuck in seventh gear and about to stop on track.”

Mercedes’ non-executive chairman Niki Lauda said that “there was a gearbox issue” but they “don’t know” what it was. He thinks, though, what was discussed “was all within the limits.”

The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has informed teams ahead of the Silverstone weekend that they will be toughening up on what they could tell their drivers. The FIA race Director Charlie Whiting said that the “honeymoon period was over.”

This is to clamp down on the so-called “driver coaching.”

Rosberg finished second behind teammate Lewis Hamilton but he was only two seconds ahead of third place finisher Max Verstappen.

A five second time penalty, the least severe, for rules infringement would drop the German racer to third place.

The third place finish would also drop his title lead over Hamilton to one point.