Following the conclusion of Friday’s chaotic F3 Qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps, several drivers have been handed grid penalties ahead of the Sprint and Feature Races.
Noah Strømsted has received a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision.
During the final part of Qualifying, Strømsted and Yevan David collided ahead of Turn 14 while on a preparation lap. Both cars were left stopped on track with damage, bringing the session to an early end.
The Stewards spoke to both drivers and their team representatives and reviewed video evidence before determining that, despite the actions of other drivers around them, Strømsted was predominantly at fault as the trailing car.
The TRIDENT driver will therefore drop five places on the grid for both races.
Penalties for driving slow on the racing line
Several other F3 drivers were also handed penalties for driving unnecessarily slowly on the racing line during their preparation laps at Spa-Francorchamps during Qualifying.
Théophile Naël, Taito Kato, Louis Sharp, James Wharton, Jin Nakamura and Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi were all found to have driven slowly on the racing line, with the Stewards determining that their actions directly contributed to the collision which ended Qualifying.
All six drivers were handed three-place grid penalties, apart from Naël, who received a five-place drop.
The Stewards noted that Naël was the first car in the group involved in the incident. As the lead car, his actions affected the cars behind him and contributed to several related breaches which ultimately led to the collision.
As a result, his penalty was increased compared to those handed to the other drivers.
Ugochukwu and Xie hit with double penalties
Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu and Gerrard Xie were also penalised for driving unnecessarily slowly on the racing line, leaving the track without justifiable cause and gaining a position in the queue.
Both drivers received two separate three-place grid penalties, meaning they will serve a total of six grid places for each race.
del Pino and Garfias penalised for weaving
Finally, Bruno del Pino and José Garfias were handed three-place grid penalties for weaving during their preparation laps.
The Stewards found that both drivers had been weaving in close proximity to other cars on track, which constituted erratic driving.
Both drivers will serve their three-place grid penalties in the Sprint and Feature Races at Spa-Francorchamps.
