Photo: Gregory Lenormand / DPPI / Renault Sport Media
DAMS driver Carlos Sainz will lose two positions on the grid for tomorrow’s Formula Renault 3.5 race at Monte Carlo.
Sainz, who was originally set to start on the front row alongside teammate Norman Nato, will instead line up in fourth place.
The stewards have found that Sainz had impeded fellow Red Bull Junior Pierre Gasly (who qualified in eighth place) during Group A qualifying.
The penalty promotes Jazeman Jaafar to his second front row start on the streets of the principality. He’d previously converted his second place on the grid last year into a career first podium in the series.
Tech 1’s Marco Sorensen will now start in third – just as he did last year – with Sainz alongside him on row two.
Provisional grid
| Pos. | Driver | Team |
| 1 | Norman Nato | DAMS |
| 2 | Jazeman Jaafar | ISR |
| 3 | Marco Sorensen | Tech 1 Racing |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | DAMS |
| 5 | Oliver Rowland | Fortec Motorsports |
| 6 | Sergey Sirotkin | Fortec Motorsports |
| 7 | Zoel Amberg | AVF |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | Arden Motorsport |
| 9 | Will Stevens | Strakka Racing |
| 10 | Roberto Merhi | Zeta Corse |
| 11 | Pietro Fantin | International Draco Racing |
| 12 | Meindert van Buuren | Pons Racing |
| 13 | Marlon Stockinger | Lotus |
| 14 | Roman Mavlanov | Zeta Corse |
| 15 | William Buller | Arden Motorsport |
| 16 | Matias Laine | Strakka Racing |
| 17 | Oliver Webb | Pons Racing |
| 18 | Matthieu Vaxiviere | Lotus |
| 19 | Beitske Visser | AVF |
| 20 | Luca Ghiotto | International Draco Racing |
| 21 | Andrea Roda | Comtec Racing |