Nikola Tsolov has been disqualified from the Formula 3 Feature Race in Austria as Martinius Stenshorne inherits the race victory.
The Campos Racing driver dominated from pole position and fended off a challenge from his title rival, Rafael Camara.
It would have marked his third win of the season, but a post-race technical inspection found his car to be non-compliant.
Tsolov was summoned to the stewards after his car failed to meet the minimum plank thickness requirement.
A document from the FIA read: “The Stewards received a report from the Technical Delegate (Document 58).
“They summoned the Driver and Team Representative of Car 12 (Document 60) and heard the Team Representative and Technical Delegate.
“Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined that the rear plank of Car 12 was below the minimum thickness required and is therefore in breach
of Article 3.2.2 of the Technical Regulations.”
“The Team explained that they had measured the plank before the race and that it was compliant, and that the reason for the measurements being outside of the tolerances
was due to wear during the race.
“The team further noted that a section of the plank was missing at the edge on the same side that was found to be noncompliant.
“They offered that whatever impact damaged the edge could have also caused that side of the plank to thereafter ride lower thus causing the nonconformity.
“The Team did not offer any incident that could have caused the damage other than transitting curbs which the Stewards consider to be a normal part of racing.
“The Technical Delegate stated that the plank appeared to be a normal post-race plank.”
Title contenders benefit from Tsolov’s disqualification
Hitech’s Stenshorne takes his second win of the season and his first in a Feature Race.
The Norwegian produced a stunning drive from 15th on the grid, charging through the field to claim a podium, and now victory, from well outside the top 10.
Tim Tramnitz climbs from 17th on the grid to finish an impressive second, while Mari Boya is promoted to the podium in third after starting 14th.
In a remarkable twist, the gap between Camara and the Bulgarian has now widened, with Tsolov dropping behind Tramnitz in the standings.
The Trident driver now holds a 24-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship after six of the 10 rounds in the 2025 F3 season.
Laurens van Hoepen has also been disqualified for failing to comply with the tyre pressures defined in the Pirelli technical preview.
The ART driver finished ninth in the race and, as a result, loses out on a points finish.
The race classification following the post-race penalties is as follows: Stenshorne, Tramnitz, Boya, Ugo Ugochukwu, Camara, Charlie Wurz, Noah Stromsted, Callum Voisin, Brad Benavides and Theophile Nael takes the final point in 10th place.
READ MORE – Nikola Tsolov cruises to F3 Feature Race victory from pole in Austria
Discussion about this post