Home Featured Mazepin loses Sochi GP3 pole to Pulcini after track-limit abuse

Mazepin loses Sochi GP3 pole to Pulcini after track-limit abuse

by Peter Allen
Mazepin

Photo: Zak Mauger / GP3 Series Media Service

Nikita Mazepin has had his maiden GP3 pole position on home ground at Sochi taken away for track limits abuse.

A series statement said that ‘following analysis of the timekeeping data’, Mazepin was found to have gained an advantage when he ran wide at Turn 4 on his final and fastest lap.

The ART Grand Prix driver did also run wide at the final corner on his way to beating Leonardo Pulcini by 0.017 seconds.

With his best time deleted, Mazepin falls to eighth on the grid, while Pulcini takes up pole with Callum Ilott to start alongside him.

It means title contender Mazepin will now start four places behind his championship-leading team-mate Anthoine Hubert, who moves up to fourth on the grid.

 

Revised qualifying results
Pos Name Team Time
1 Leonardo Pulcini Campos Racing 1m52.586s
2 Callum Ilott ART Grand Prix +0.069s
3 Giuliano Alesi Trident +0.078s
4 Anthoine Hubert ART Grand Prix +0.212s
5 Ryan Tveter Trident +0.240s
6 Simo Laaksonen Campos Racing +0.258s
7 Richard Verschoor MP Motorsport +0.279s
8 Nikita Mazepin ART Grand Prix
9 Joey Mawson Arden International +0.609s
10 Jake Hughes ART Grand Prix +0.649s
11 Pedro Piquet Trident +0.693s
12 Juan Manuel Correa Jenzer Motorsport +0.793s
13 Sacha Fenestraz Arden International +0.866s
14 Tatiana Calderon Jenzer Motorsport +1.092s
15 David Beckmann Trident +1.196s
16 Devlin DeFrancesco MP Motorsport +1.423s
17 Gabriel Aubry Arden International +1.438s
18 Diego Menchaca Campos Racing +2.045s
19 Jannes Fittje Jenzer Motorsport +2.277s