The FIA Stewards issued two major penalties following the 2025 FIA F2 Feature Race at the Austrian GP, disqualifying Rodin Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne for excessive front plank wear and penalising Van Amersfoort Racing’s John Bennett for avoidable contact. These decisions, finalised after thorough post-race investigations and hearings, changed the final classification and reinforced F2’s zero-tolerance approach to technical and sporting infringements.
Dunne disqualified after plank wear breach
Alexander Dunne crossed the finish line in second place and appeared to retain his status as a key title contender. However, post-race scrutineering revealed that the front plank of Car 17 did not meet the required minimum thickness. Specifically, the Technical Delegate measured 3.37 mm and 3.27 mm at two of the designated points—well below the 4.0 mm threshold stated in Article 3.2.2 of the FIA Formula 2 Technical Regulations.
During the hearing, the Rodin Motorsport team accepted the FIA’s findings. They confirmed the plank was new at the start of the weekend and that ride height had been fixed before the Feature Race to account for fuel load. However, they could not offer any valid explanation for the excessive wear seen after the race. As Article 1.8 of the Technical Regulations places full responsibility for legal compliance on the competitor at all times, the stewards issued the mandatory sanction: disqualification from the Feature Race, cancellation of all lap times, and the promotion of every car originally classified behind Dunne.
This ruling cost Dunne vital championship points and stripped him of a valuable podium result. It also marked Rodin Motorsport’s first non-scoring Feature Race of the 2025 season.
Bennett penalised for collision with Montoya
Meanwhile, John Bennett received a ten-second time penalty for causing a collision with Sebastián Montoya during the 2025 F2 Feature Race at the Austrian GP. The incident occurred under braking for Turn 3, where Car 24 moved left while defending against Montoya, who had drawn alongside on the outside. Video and in-car footage showed that Bennett closed the door too abruptly, leaving Car 9 with insufficient room and resulting in steering damage for the MP Motorsport driver.
After reviewing the incident, the stewards deemed Bennett predominantly at fault. Under Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2(d) of the International Sporting Code, they imposed a ten-second penalty and added two points to Bennett’s licence, bringing his 2025 total to six. The time penalty demoted Bennett from thirteenth to fourteenth in the final classification.
Sporting consequences and revised results
Dunne’s disqualification elevated Richard Verschoor to a commanding win and gave him the outright championship lead with 114 points. The penalty also promoted Jak Crawford to fourth place, allowing him to leapfrog Arvid Lindblad and move into third in the standings. Leonardo Fornaroli, who inherited a podium finish, climbed to fourth overall, while Luke Browning’s charge from seventeenth to sixth kept him firmly in the title hunt.
