Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Nikola Tsolov has moved onto the podium in the results of the FIA Formula 3 sprint race at the Red Bull Ring after Ugo Ugochukwu received a post-race penalty.
Prema driver Ugochukwu had initially finished third, a career-best finish in F3, ahead of Campos Racing’s title contender Tsolov but his drive to that position included an off-track moment which stewards took note of.
Tsolov had been pressuring Ugochukwu and attempted to overtake him into turn one. While the move did not work, Ugochukwu’s defending had included running off the road at the exit and then not backing off as headed up the hill to turn two.
The incident was deemed worthy of a 10-second penalty, dropping him from third to 16th. Tsolov reduced Rafael Camara’s championship lead to 17 points by inheriting a fifth podium finish of the season, and Prema’s Noel Leon earned a point by moving up into the top 10.
Ugochukwu was also reprimanded for heading to the support paddock post-race rather heading to the pitlane for the podium ceremony, and team-mate Brando Badoer got a 10s penalty and two penalty points for contact with Trident’s Charlie Wurz at turn three. That had no impact on his position as the last finisher.
One place ahead of him in 23rd was MP Motorsport’s Bruno del Pino, and he got the same set of penalties for making contact with AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides at the same corner.
DAMS’ Christian Ho was also handed a 10s penalty, for contact with ART Grand Prix’s Tuukka Taponen at turn three on lap two of the race, but since he was a non-finisher that has been converted into a five-place grid penalty for the feature race. He will now start Sunday’s race from 28th place, and has two penalty points on his race license.
Ho’s debuting team-mate Nikita Johnson was reprimanded for crossing the white line at the pit entry while mistakenly entering the pitlane, and AIX Racing’s James Hedley was disqualified from 20th place having “entered parc ferme unsupervised and without seeking authorisation by officials”.
In Formula 2, DAMS got a warning for not intervening when marshals wheeled Jak Crawford’s car off the grid. He was unable to start the formation lap and was pushed into the pits, and once there it was noted by the stewards that it was in a hazardous position since his rear-left wheel was protuding into the fast lane. The issue was not rectified by DAMS, although the stewards did not say if any team personnel were physically in a position to do so.
Their other car, driven by Kush Maini, got a five-second penalty and a penalty point for failing to stay above the minimum delta time in two consecutive sectors during a safety car period. He finished two laps down in 17th.
MP’s Oliver Goethe got two penalty points for an incident in which he was handed a time penalty during the race.