Final F3 Sprint Race classification confirmed after Stewards' decisions at 2025 Hungarian GP

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Following the conclusion of the FIA F3 Sprint Race at the 2025 Hungarian GP, the Stewards issued several post-race penalties and clarified a number of investigations. These decisions, based on detailed reviews of video evidence and multiple driver hearings, reshaped the final classification and had implications for Sunday’s Feature Race.

False start for Del Pino results in time penalty

Bruno del Pino, representing MP Motorsport, received a five-second time penalty for a false start. The incident involved Del Pino moving slightly before the official start signal. Although the Spaniard came to a stop immediately after the premature movement and did not gain an advantage, the Stewards deemed the infraction a breach of Article 37.15 a) of the FIA F3 Sporting Regulations.

After hearing from both the driver and a team representative, and upon examining video and data evidence, the Stewards applied the least severe penalty permitted under Article 39.3 (a). Consequently, del Pino dropped from 19th to 25th in the final Sprint Race classification. The penalty did not carry any driver penalty points.

León found fully responsible for collision with Naël

Noel León, driving for PREMA Racing, was involved in a Turn 4 incident with Théophile Naël of Van Amersfoort Racing. The Stewards concluded that León, in Car 2, attempted a pass on the outside but failed to yield when Naël, in Car 20, secured the apex. As a result, both drivers made contact, and León retired from the race.

The Stewards determined León had breached Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2 (d) of the FIA International Sporting Code. As the ten-second time penalty could not be served during the Sprint due to his retirement, it was converted into a five-place grid drop for the upcoming Feature Race. Additionally, two penalty points were added to León’s licence, marking his first of the season.

Zagazeta penalised for incident with Lacorte

Matías Zagazeta of DAMS Lucas Oil also received a ten-second time penalty after being judged wholly at fault for a collision with teammate Nicola Lacorte at Turn 2. The Stewards reviewed the manoeuvre and concluded that Zagazeta failed to provide adequate racing room to Lacorte, who had already earned space at the apex.

Specifically, Zagazeta crowded Lacorte onto the grass, causing the latter to lose control and understeer into his rival. Lacorte retired due to the contact. In accordance with Article 39.3 (b) of the FIA F3 Sporting Regulations, the Stewards applied the standard penalty and added two penalty points to Zagazeta’s record. His total for the season now stands at four points. The Peruvian dropped from 25th to 26th in the final order.

Stenshorne penalised for gaining advantage off-track

Martinius Stenshorne of Hitech Pulse-Eight received a five-second time penalty after leaving the track at Turn 9 and overtaking Trident’s Noah Strømsted on the opening lap. The Stewards found that the Norwegian failed to return the position, thereby gaining a lasting advantage in breach of Article 27.3 of the Sporting Regulations. While the Stewards acknowledged the challenging nature of Lap 1 scenarios, they still imposed the penalty under Article 39.3 (a). The infringement did not incur any penalty points.

Ugochukwu–Giusti contact requires no further action

The Stewards investigated contact between Car 3, driven by Ugo Ugochukwu, and Car 19 of Alessandro Giusti at Turn 12 on the first lap. The review concluded that Ugochukwu had established rights to the corner and that Giusti, having understeered into the apex, caused the contact.

Since Ugochukwu continued while Giusti retired, the incident was examined carefully. Ultimately, the Stewards determined that no further action was necessary, citing Giusti’s responsibility.

Lap 1 chaos between Van Hoepen and Domingues deemed a racing incident

Collision between Laurens Van Hoepen and Ivan Domingues at Turn 6 on the opening lap was ruled a racing incident. Both drivers were navigating dense traffic and attempted moves based on rapidly changing gaps. The Stewards reasoned that each driver had reason to expect the actions of the other and that neither was wholly or predominantly to blame. Therefore, they chose to take no further action.

Domingues escapes penalty after delta issue during Safety Car

Car 22, driven by Domingues, was also under investigation for being above the minimum delta time in five red sectors and two additional sectors during a safety car period. The driver explained that his steering wheel display malfunctioned, depriving him of delta data.

After consulting both the Technical Delegate and the F3 Promoter’s Technical Director, the Stewards verified the equipment failure. Given that Domingues drove safely throughout the incident and was not at fault for the malfunction, the Stewards elected not to issue a penalty.

Final F3 Sprint Race Classification at the 2025 Hungarian GP

The decisions handed down by the Stewards have directly impacted the outcome of the Sprint Race, with several drivers receiving penalties that altered their finishing positions. Following the application of time penalties and the adjustment of results, the updated classification is as follows: