Nine drivers have been given grid drops for the first FIA Formula 3 race of the Italian Grand Prix weekend after the stewards reviewed Friday’s qualifying session.
Theo Pourchaire, Alex Smolyar, Pierre-Louis Chovet, Lirim Zendeli, Olli Caldwell, Sebastian Fernandez, David Beckmann have all been given a minimum drop of five places for slowing unnecessarily before the Parabolica, thus compromising other drivers’ laps and causing a dangerous situation.
A further drop of three places has also been imposed to Smolyar for driving unnecessarily slowly before Turn 2, causing a considerable number of drivers to slow down and causing a dangerous situation.
The Russian driver is therefore given a total demise of eight places and will start 11th as a consequence.
Zendeli’s punishment is even worse, as another five-place grid penalty has been awarded to him for impeding Liam Lawson at Turn 2. A total drop of ten places sees the Trident driver begin Saturday’s race from 12th.
The last two drivers to be penalised are those from PREMA, who are Oscar Piastri and Frederik Vesti. Both have been given each a drop of three places for driving unnecessarily slowly and impeding Jake Hughes, who was on a flying lap when the pair were side by side and blocking the HWA Racelab’s path to get past.
With Pourchaire’s pole position taken away as a result of his penalty, Lawson will start the race at the head of the grid ahead of Matteo Nannini in second.
Hughes has moved up to third spot in front of Calan Williams and championship-leader Logan Sargeant.
Pourchaire will start sixth with Igor Fraga, Alex Peroni, Vesti and David Beckmann making up the top ten.
Piastri moves down to 15th, Fernandez 16th, Caldwell 20th and Chovet 30th.
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