HAAS JUNIOR DRIVER BANNED FROM F2
Haas Formula 1 junior driver Santino Ferrucci has received a four-race ban from Formula 2, after crashing into his team-mate Arjun Maini after the sprint race at Silverstone on Sunday.
Ferrucci drove into the left rear of Maini’s car on the cool down lap after the race, for which Ferrucci has been fined €60,000 and banned from the next two rounds at the Hungaroring and Spa.
Allied to that, American driver Ferrucci was seen to be driving with a glove off between the F2 and F1 paddock at Silverstone on Sunday, which is not allowed.
In that hand he was seen to be holding a phone, and for these two offences he has been fined €6000.
Ferrucci had been deemed to have forced Maini off the road at Turn 4 in the sprint race on Sunday, and was disqualified from the results.
After being hit by Ferrucci, Maini complained on the radio that his team-mate should be banned. The pair had also clashed in the feature race on Saturday. Ferrucci was given a time penalty for forcing Maini off the track in that race as well.
Ferrucci will now miss the Hungary and Spa rounds of the championship, in which he lies 18th in the points.
Haas F1 team principal Gunther Steiner confirmed he would be investigating the incident, with Maini also a Haas junior driver.
“I said I’m not going deal with them today, because we have a race to go to,” he said..
“I’m going deal with them in the week so I will get more information.
F2 teams will be given an upgraded engine, clutch and ECU before the next round at Hungary, and have been permitted to carry out 100kms worth of practice starts to ensure the series can return to standing starts.