Formula 2 driver Santino Ferrucci ran into his teammate on a cool-down lap, got suspended by the FIA for two weekends had his team call his behavior uncivilized and reportedly was prohibited from putting “Make America Great Again” on his car by the FIA.
That’s not just a recap of Ferrucci’s 2018 in Formula 2. That’s a recap of Ferrucci’s weekend at Silverstone in Great Britain.
Let’s get started.
FIA doesn’t allow political slogans on cars
Ferrucci, 20, is a Haas Formula 1 development driver and drives for Trident in Formula 2, the series one step below Formula 1, the biggest racing series in the world. Ferrucci drove in two IndyCar races for Dale Coyne Racing earlier this year.
Per RaceFans.net, the Connecticut native wanted to put President Donald Trump’s famous campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” on his car for the two Formula races at Silverstone on Saturday and Sunday. The FIA didn’t allow the request because of a ban on political slogans.
“Article 10.6.2(a) of the International Sporting Code expressly states that competitors taking part in international competitions are not allowed to affix to their automobiles advertising that is political in nature,” F2 director Bruno Michel reportedly said in a letter denying the request last week. According to the site, F2 didn’t confirm or deny that the request happened.
“Given the political nature of the image you have requested to display on the car, we hereby confirm that it is prohibited under the terms of the rules.”
The ban seems pretty straightforward. It’s impossible to see the phrase Make America Great Again and not associate it with politics at this point.
Two-round suspension for running into teammate
Ferrucci was suspended for the next two F2 weekends — there are two races per weekend — after he ran into teammate Arjun Maini on the cool-down lap following Sunday’s race and then didn’t report to the stewards.
Here’s what he did to Maini.
The F2 stewards called him for a post-race meeting and Ferrucci didn’t show up. He was fined approximately $70,000.
That’s not all he was punished for from Silverstone. Here’s the rest of his penalties from the F2 penalty report.
In another incident with his teammate, Ferrucci was found to have deliberately forced Maini off of the road at Turn 4 after the Indian driver proceeded to make a pass for position. Once again, Ferrucci declined to attend the hearing, and has been disqualified from the results of the Sprint Race.
Having also been observed transitioning from the support paddock to the race pitlane wearing just one glove and holding a phone in his hand by a Technical Delegate, Ferrucci also violated both the Technical and Sporting Regulations for incorrect driver safety equipment and the prohibition of wireless transmission devices within the car. For these transgressions, he has earned a further €6000 in fines.
Ferrucci’s team apologizes for his “uncivilized behavior”
Trident made a strong statement of public support for Maini and said Ferrucci and his father had “uncivilized behavior” while at Silverstone. Based on the wording of the below tweet, it seems unlikely that Ferrucci will return to the team when his suspension is over.
Trident intends to show their solidarity and support to @ArjunMaini_ and his family, for the unsportsmanlike and above all uncivilized behavior that he was forced to endure not only during this last weekend by Santino Ferrucci and father, who accompanied him. https://t.co/Z78SjIjXXH
— Trident Team (@trident_team) July 8, 2018
The contractual implications of what has happened will be dealt with by our lawyers. Never in these 12 years of sporting activity has anything even close to this ever occurred. We apologize for the show that we have regretfully offered.
— Trident Team (@trident_team) July 8, 2018
Haas said it was in the information-gathering stage regarding Ferrucci.
Statement from @HaasF1Team on Ferrucci: “Haas F1 Team is still in the process of gathering all of the pertinent information regarding Santino Ferrucci and his actions during the Formula 2 event this past weekend at Silverstone. We appreciate your patience.”
— Nate Saunders (@natesaundersF1) July 9, 2018
Ferrucci is 18th out of 20 drivers in the F2 standings with just seven points. He’s scored points in just three of the 14 races held so far this season.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
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