{
        int err;
 
-       err = nfp_net_pf_app_start_ctrl(pf);
-       if (err)
-               return err;
-
        err = nfp_app_start(pf->app, pf->ctrl_vnic);
        if (err)
                goto err_ctrl_stop;
        if (pf->num_vfs)
                nfp_app_sriov_disable(pf->app);
        nfp_app_stop(pf->app);
-       nfp_net_pf_app_stop_ctrl(pf);
 }
 
 static void nfp_net_pci_unmap_mem(struct nfp_pf *pf)
 
 static void nfp_net_pci_remove_finish(struct nfp_pf *pf)
 {
-       nfp_net_pf_app_stop(pf);
+       nfp_net_pf_app_stop_ctrl(pf);
        /* stop app first, to avoid double free of ctrl vNIC's ddir */
        nfp_net_debugfs_dir_clean(&pf->ddir);
 
 {
        struct nfp_net_fw_version fw_ver;
        u8 __iomem *ctrl_bar, *qc_bar;
+       struct nfp_net *nn;
        int stride;
        int err;
 
        if (err)
                goto err_free_vnics;
 
-       err = nfp_net_pf_app_start(pf);
+       err = nfp_net_pf_app_start_ctrl(pf);
        if (err)
                goto err_free_irqs;
 
        if (err)
                goto err_stop_app;
 
+       err = nfp_net_pf_app_start(pf);
+       if (err)
+               goto err_clean_vnics;
+
        mutex_unlock(&pf->lock);
 
        return 0;
 
+err_clean_vnics:
+       list_for_each_entry(nn, &pf->vnics, vnic_list)
+               if (nfp_net_is_data_vnic(nn))
+                       nfp_net_pf_clean_vnic(pf, nn);
 err_stop_app:
-       nfp_net_pf_app_stop(pf);
+       nfp_net_pf_app_stop_ctrl(pf);
 err_free_irqs:
        nfp_net_pf_free_irqs(pf);
 err_free_vnics:
        if (list_empty(&pf->vnics))
                goto out;
 
+       nfp_net_pf_app_stop(pf);
+
        list_for_each_entry(nn, &pf->vnics, vnic_list)
                if (nfp_net_is_data_vnic(nn))
                        nfp_net_pf_clean_vnic(pf, nn);