Richard Verschoor has been stripped of a Formula 2 sprint race victory for the second time this season, after his Trident car failed scrutineering in Hungary.
In a peculiar sprint race that saw drivers run a mix of hard and soft tyres, Verschoor had initially dropped behind the soft-shod Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Prema), but regained the position as the Prema driver failed to make his rubber go the distance.
But approximately four hours after Verschoor stood atop the podium, a team representative was summoned to face the stewards as “the rear plank of Car 22 did not comply with the minimum thickness required”.
Following the hearing, the Dutchman was disqualified, with Invicta driver Kush Maini handed the win, Victor Martins promoted to second, and championship leader Isack Hadjar (Campos) lifted into the podium positions.
The FIA decision document read: “Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined that the rear plank of Car 22 was below the minimum thickness required, and is therefor in breach of Article 3.4.3 of the Technical Regulations.”
It is the second time this season that Verschoor has been disqualified after taking the flag first, the previous occasion coming in the Saudi Arabian sprint race when an “incorrect throttle pedal progressivity map installed prior to the race” handed Dennis Hauger (MP Motorsport) the win.
Asked how the win felt before learning of his penalty, Verschoor had joked: “Not special at all. No, I don’t know. Many times in F2 when I’ve won the race, it has been taken away or in Monaco, I had some – I will keep it nice…
“So somehow, I feel I cannot be happy until it is certain, so I’m just going to wait for an hour or two, see if I really got the win and then celebrate.”
The Trident driver will start Sunday’s feature race from 10th, a qualifying result that had granted him pole position for Saturday’s sprint race with a partially reversed grid.
Evaluating his chances of securing points in the feature outing, he added: “In F2 there are always opportunities. Of course, every team will analyse what happened and how they can improve for tomorrow, and so will we.
“I think we have a good package and are more or less there, so let’s try to choose the right strategy and then push from there.”
