F2 Hungarian Grand Prix: Series of penalties after the Sprint, Lindblad and Browning downgraded
Four drivers were penalized after the F2 sprint race in Budapest, including Arvid Lindblad and Luke Browning. These decisions, taken several hours after the finish, changed the final standings and cost some contenders precious points.
Several hours after the conclusion of the sprint race in Budapest, the stewards imposed penalties on four drivers, including Arvid Lindblad (Campos Racing) and Luke Browning (Hitech TGR), thereby altering the final standings.
Lindblad falls from 4th to 10th place
The young Campos Racing driver was given a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during his duel with Victor Martins on the 20th lap. The incident occurred at the exit of turn 3, where Lindblad exceeded the track limits.
According to the stewards, the Briton took the inside line at turn 3 but exceeded the track limits on the exit, forcing Martins to lift off. This maneuver allowed Jak Crawford to overtake the Frenchman, constituting an illegal advantage for Lindblad, according to the officials, which enabled him to maintain his position against Martins.
This penalty drops Lindblad from fourth to tenth place, causing him to lose valuable points in the title race.
Browning penalized
Luke Browning did not escape the vigilance of the stewards. The Hitech TGR driver also received a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits on the last lap.
The incident involved Victor Martins again, this time at turns 6 and 7. Browning left the regulated track at turn 7 to keep his position ahead of the ART Grand Prix driver. The stewards deemed this action an unfair defensive maneuver. Initially fifth, Browning finds himself relegated to twelfth place, thus losing the four points he had gained.
Bennett and Shields also sanctioned
Two other drivers were also flagged by the stewards. John Bennett (Van Amersfoort Racing) received a five-second penalty for forcing Sebastian Montoya off the track at turn 1 on the second lap.
GPS and video data showed that Montoya had attempted to overtake Bennett on the outside at the first corner. The PREMA driver was slightly ahead at the apex and therefore entitled to the necessary space, but Bennett did not leave him enough room at the exit of the corner.
Cian Shields (AIX Racing) was penalized for not respecting the minimum delta times under the safety car regime. The Irish driver exceeded the imposed times in two consecutive sectors, an infraction that also earned him a five-second penalty.
The main race of the Hungarian Grand Prix of Formula 2 will take place this Sunday at 10 AM.
Revised ranking of the F2 sprint race at the Hungarian Grand Prix:
| N° | Driver | Équipe | Times/Écarts | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josep Maria Marti | Campos Racing | 46:29.807 | 28 |
| 2 | Alexander Dunne | Rodin Motorsport | +0.225 | 28 |
| 3 | Jak Crawford | DAMS Lucas Oil | +1.964 | 28 |
| 4 | Victor Martins | ART Grand Prix | +4.503 | 28 |
| 5 | Leonardo Fornaroli | Invicta Racing | +5.116 | 28 |
| 6 | Richard Verschoor | MP Motorsport | +5.271 | 28 |
| 7 | Oliver Goethe | MP Motorsport | +5.565 | 28 |
| 8 | Dino Beganovic | Hitech TGR | +5.969 | 28 |
| 9 | Kush Maini | DAMS Lucas Oil | +7.039 | 28 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad* | Campos Racing | +13.193† | 28 |
| 11 | Joshua Durksen | AIX Racing | +8.264 | 28 |
| 12 | Luke Browning* | Hitech TGR | +13.997† | 28 |
| 13 | Roman Stanek | Invicta Racing | +9.109 | 28 |
| 14 | Gabriele Mini | Prema Racing | +10.564 | 28 |
| 15 | Ritomo Miyata | ART Grand Prix | +11.465 | 28 |
| 16 | Amaury Cordeel | Rodin Motorsport | +11.813 | 28 |
| 17 | Sami Meguetounif | Trident | +12.524 | 28 |
| 18 | Rafael Villagomez | Van Amersfoort Racing | +13.374 | 28 |
| 19 | Max Esterson | Trident | +13.820 | 28 |
| 20 | John Bennett* | Van Amersfoort Racing | +18.973† | 28 |
| 21 | Cian Shields* | AIX Racing | +25.879† | 28 |
| NC | Sebastian Montoya* | Prema Racing | DNF | 21 |
