Browning loses best lap, Dufek disqualified and two drivers penalised following Budapest Qualifying

Following the conclusion of the Budapest Qualifying session, three drivers have received post-session penalties and one has been disqualified.

Firstly, Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Luke Browning has had his best laptime deleted.

In the closing moments of Qualifying, Browning spun at Turn 11, collided with the barriers and brought out the Red Flags, ending the session early.

After a post-session investigation by the Race Stewards, it was determined that Browning would have his best laptime deleted as a consequence of causing the session-ending Red Flag.

As per Article 33.5 of the 2024 FIA F3 Sporting Regulations, the Hitech driver was the sole cause of the Red Flag and, subsequently, the Stewards determined that the fastest time attained by Car 14 during the session should be deleted.

With his laptime removed from the results, Browning drops from seventh in the original Qualifying order down to P15, moving each driver behind him up one position each.

After the application of other penalties and demotions, it means that PREMA Racing’s Dino Beganovic is set to start the Sprint Race from reverse grid pole with AIX Racing’s Nikita Bedrin alongside him on the front row.

Secondly, AIX’s Racing driver Joshua Dufek has been disqualified from the Formula 3 Qualifying results in Budapest.

The AIX #28 car was reported to the Stewards after a post-session technical inspection uncovered a potential breach of the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Technical Regulations.

After Dufek and a team representative appeared before the Stewards, it was found that Car #28 had been below the minimum weight required, contravening Art. 5.1 of the FIA Formula 3 Championship Technical Regulations.

As a result, Dufek is removed from the results of the Budapest Qualifying session. Having originally qualified in sixth position, it promotes those behind him in the classification up one place each.

Furthermore, Piotr Wisnicki has been handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding PREMA Racing driver Dino Beganovic.

Following the Qualifying session, the Stewards spoke to both drivers and their team representatives, while also reviewing video evidence and determined that the Rodin Motorsport driver had unnecessarily impeded Beganovic on his push lap.

Wisnicki will therefore serve his penalty at the next race in which he competes.

Finally, MP Motorsport driver Kacper Sztuka has been handed a three-place grid penalty.

The Polish driver was reported for allegedly impeding Campos Racing’s Sebastián Montoya during the session. After examining all video evidence and talking with both drivers and their team representatives, the Race Stewards determined that Sztuka had unnecessarily impeded Montoya.

As a result, the Race Stewards elected to apply a three-place grid drop that the MP driver is set to serve at the next race in which he competes.