ROUNDS 19 & 20 SATURDAY – LATEST NEWS
BEST TIME DISALLOWED FOR ANDRE’ COUTO
SEAT Sport’s Macau driver André Couto had his
best qualifying time disallowed because he failed to stop
at the weighing bay. Couto who had posted the 18th fastest
lap will therefore be demoted to the 20th on the grid for
Sunday’s Race 1.
ELEVEN COMPETITORS FINED BY EURO 1,000
Eleven competitors have been fined by euro 1,000 for queing
up in the fast lane before the green light at the exit of
the pit lane was lit, in breach of Bullettin 1, Art. 2. The
offences occurred immediately before the session was resumed
following the two red-flag periods.
The competitors fined were: Duncan Huisman, Augusto Farfus,
Gianni Morbidelli, Fabrizio Giovanardi, Stefano D’Aste,
Luca Rangoni, Diego Romanini, Robert Huff, Alain Menu, André
Couto and Peter Terting.
DRIVERS OUT OF QUALIFICATION MAXIMA
Due to the two red-flag periods that disrupted qualifying
and the rain that came halfway through the session, eleven
drivers could not post a lap time within the qualification
maxima of 2:44.268.
All these drivers – Alessandro Zanardi, Jordi Gené,
André Couto, Salvatore Tavano, Robert Huff, Alain Menu,
Rickard Rydell, Diego Romanini, Nicola Larini, James Thompson
and Ao Chi Hong – have been authorized by the Stewards
to take the start.
MENU DROPPED BY TEN PLACES TWICE
Chevrolet’s Alain Menu will be dropped ten positions
on the grids for both Race 1 and Race 2. The penalty is a
consequence of an incident that involved the Swiss driver
and Dirk Müller during the deceleration lap of the second
race at Valencia. The Stewards judged Menu responsible for
causing an avoidable collision and imposed a euro 5,000 fine.
However, because he had received a suspended penalty of ten
grid positions due to a previous collision (with Luca Rangoni
at Istanbul), he will be dropped tomorrow.
ENGINE CHANGE FOR NICOLA LARINI
After he was among the fastest drivers in the testing and
free practice sessions Nicola Larini had a very unlucky qualifying
as he crashed at the “R” bend on his first flying
lap. The head-on crash also resulted in an engine change on
his Chevrolet Lacetti car and consequently a drop of ten positions
on the grid for the first race.
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