PIASTRI AND SARGEANT HANDED PENALTIES AHEAD OF TITLE DECIDER
Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant handed penalties ahead of title decider – Photo: Suttons
FIA Formula 3 Championship contenders Australian Oscar Piastri and American Logan Sargeant will both have to serve grid penalties in the crucial championship decider this weekend at Mugello.
By DAN McCARTHY
Both the Prema Racing competitors received penalties for separate incidents in the second race at Monza.
The incidents would usually warrant post-race time penalties, but as both drivers failed to greet the chequered flag, their penalties have been converted into grid drops.
Championship leading Australian Piastri has been handed a penalty for an off-camera incident early in the race.
Piastri has been dealt a 10s-time penalty which has been converted into a five-place grid drop as the stewards determined that the Victorian forced German and championship outsider David Beckmann off track at Turn 5 (the second chicane).
It was found that the Trident racer suffered damage and retired from the race as a direct result of the incident.
Wherever Piastri qualifies in Italy, he will have to start five positions further back in the opening encounter of the weekend.
Piastri’s major championship rival Sargeant collided with Danish teammate Frederik Vesti in which the former was deemed responsible and has been awarded a three-place grid penalty.
This was the most notable and surprising of incidents as Sargeant recovered from 26th to sit in the top five positions (after being spun out of contention in Race 1) before colliding with Vesti.
Into the Ascari Chicane Sargeant misjudged the distance to Vesti once he had gotten ahead, and was not completely clear of his teammate.
The two Prema Racing drivers collided, Sargeant picked up a right-rear puncture before retiring while Vesti was forced to pit for a new front wing before he retired.
The Stewards have determined that the American was at fault for the incident and will have to serve a three-place penalty.
Other penalties include one for British driver Clement Novalak was found wholly responsible of spinning Piastri at Turn 1 before he then clouded the Aussies his front wing which forced the Prema driver into retirement.
As a result of the championship changing incident Novalak will have to serve a 5-place grid drop in the opening race at Mugello also.
New Zealander and outside championship contender Liam Lawson has seen the slim possibility become even more unlikely, as his podium on Sunday has been stripped.
Lawson has been awarded a 10s-time penalty for forcing Lirim Zendeli off track at Turn 1 dropping him from second to seventh. This penalty promotes Tasmanian Alex Peroni up into fifth position.
Heading into the final round Piastri holds a slender eight-point lead over Sargeant, with Theo Pourchaire only 16 points back from the American. Beckmann, Lawson and Vesti are all still within mathematical contention also.
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