Spa GP3: Esteban Ocon penalised, Emil Bernstorff gets race one win
Mercedes junior Esteban Ocon has lost his GP3 race one win at Spa following a five-second time penalty for breaching safety car rules
ART Grand Prix driver Ocon picked up the penalty for exceeding the virtual safety car speed at Blanchimont before the green lights were shown at the race's third and final restart.
The penalty demotes Ocon to second, and means Arden International driver Emil Bernstorff picks up his first win of the season.
Several other GP3 drivers also received grid and time penalties following race one at Spa.
Status Grand Prix driver Seb Morris picked up a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Jenzer Motorsport's Pal Varhaug at Les Combes but will start race two from the pitlane as he was only 19th on a 23-car grid.
Matheo Tuscher will also start from the pitlane due to his collision with Morris's team-mate Sandy Stuvik before the last restart.
Koiranen GP driver Jimmy Eriksson picked up a drive-through for jumping the start but served his penalty under the virtual safety car.
The stewards deemed this to be against the rules and awarded the Swede a 20s penalty, meaning he falls from fifth to 13th in the race one results.
That elevates Alex Bosak to eighth and the race two pole ahead of Alex Palou.
REVISED RESULTS - 15 LAPS:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Bernstorff | Arden International | 44m00.242s |
| 2 | Esteban Ocon | ART Grand Prix | 3.945s |
| 3 | Marvin Kirchhofer | ART Grand Prix | 4.487s |
| 4 | Antonio Fuoco | Carlin | 4.763s |
| 5 | Luca Ghiotto | Trident | 8.551s |
| 6 | Alfonso Celis | ART Grand Prix | 14.541s |
| 7 | Alex Palou | Campos Racing | 17.492s |
| 8 | Alex Bosak | Arden International | 22.432s |
| 9 | Ralph Boschung | Jenzer Motorsport | 22.671s |
| 10 | Alex Fontana | Status Grand Prix | 23.145s |
| 11 | Mitch Gilbert | Carlin | 24.762s |
| 12 | Artur Janosz | Trident | 27.390s |
| 13 | Jimmy Eriksson | Koiranen GP | 27.442s |
| 14 | Zaid Ashkanani | Campos Racing | 29.327s |
| 15 | Adderly Fong | Koiranen GP | 45.303s |
| - | Matheo Tuscher | Jenzer Motorsport | Retirement |
| - | Sandy Stuvik | Status Grand Prix | Retirement |
| - | Pal Varhaug | Jenzer Motorsport | Retirement |
| - | Seb Morris | Status Grand Prix | Retirement |
| - | Beitske Visser | Trident | Retirement |
| - | Matt Parry | Koiranen GP | Retirement |
| - | Jann Mardenborough | Carlin | Retirement |
| - | Kevin Ceccon | Arden International | Retirement |
RACE TWO STARTING GRID:
| Pos | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Bosak | Arden International |
| 2 | Alex Palou | Campos Racing |
| 3 | Alfonso Celis | ART Grand Prix |
| 4 | Luca Ghiotto | Trident |
| 5 | Antonio Fuoco | Carlin |
| 6 | Marvin Kirchhofer | ART Grand Prix |
| 7 | Esteban Ocon | ART Grand Prix |
| 8 | Emil Bernstorff | Arden International |
| 9 | Ralph Boschung | Jenzer Motorsport |
| 10 | Alex Fontana | Status Grand Prix |
| 11 | Mitch Gilbert | Carlin |
| 12 | Artur Janosz | Trident |
| 13 | Jimmy Eriksson | Koiranen GP |
| 14 | Zaid Ashkanani | Campos Racing |
| 15 | Adderly Fong | Koiranen GP |
| 16 | Sandy Stuvik | Status Grand Prix |
| 17 | Pal Varhaug | Jenzer Motorsport |
| 18 | Beitske Visser | Trident |
| 19 | Matt Parry | Koiranen GP |
| 20 | Matheo Tuscher | Jenzer Motorsport |
| 21 | Jann Mardenborough | Carlin |
| 22 | Kevin Ceccon | Arden International |
| 23 | Seb Morris | Status Grand Prix |
Previous article
Spa GP3: Esteban Ocon wins for ART after three virtual safety cars
Next article
Spa GP3: Luca Ghiotto beats Esteban Ocon to race two win
About this article
| Series | FIA F3 |
| Drivers | Emil Bernstorff , Esteban Ocon |
| Author | Aaron Rook |
How two F3 stars face new challenges from very different perspectives
ART Grand Prix team-mates Frederik Vesti and Juan Manuel Correa's paths to the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship grid couldn’t have been further apart, but both are using the same focus for different goals
Why Correa's return is the feelgood story racing needed
Juan Manuel Correa has had a long road to recovery from that horrific day at Spa in 2019. ART's decision to give him his race return in FIA Formula 3 in 2021 is a victory in itself, but his determination will surely - in time - have him fighting for bigger things
Why Piastri's F3 title was better than results suggested
F3 rookie Oscar Piastri only just snatched the 2020 title with Prema Racing, but the setbacks he overcame to do so suggest that Renault's next Australian talent is one destined for the top
The ground-effect wonder behind a generation of F1 stars
Recently named as Autosport's greatest single-seater, Ralt's RT3 launched a plethora of superstar drivers through the early 1980s, and established the constructor as the go-to place for your single-seater weapon
The Macau GP's greatest moments
Coronavirus restrictions mean this weekend's Macau GP will have a very different feel, with the usual F3 jamboree replaced by Chinese F4. But in past years, the event has provided some seminal moments in the careers of future world champions
Rating the prospects of the 2020 F3 title contenders
With the title race finely poised ahead of the final triple-header, a category returnee who raced George Russell in his F3 days lends Autosport his thoughts on the ones to watch
Why "whirlwind" Tauranac's legacy will stand the test of time
The passing of Ralt boss Ron Tauranac last week drew tributes from around the world, not least from the bosses of three prominent teams on whom the Australian designer made a lasting impression
The young driver Red Bull couldn't ignore
Igor Fraga has a more colourful career behind him than any other driver on the FIA Formula 3 grid, and now he's beginning to become as recognised for his talents in real racing as in the virtual world
