Austrian GP F3 race winner brutally disqualified along with rival as F2 star defaulted too

An Austrian Grand Prix race winner was brutally disqualified after triumphing during Sunday's action. Nikola Tsolov believed he had claimed his second Formula Three victory of 2025, racing to claim first place after starting in pole position.

However, shortly after his triumph was confirmed, the FIA ruthlessly disqualified the rising Red Bull star due to an issue with his car. A statement issued by the governing body revealed that the minimum thickness of the 18-year-old's front plank did not conform with the regulations. "The stewards received a report from a technical delegate. They summoned the driver and team representative of Car 12 (Tsolov) and heard the team representative and delegate," the FIA said.

"Having considered the matter extensively, the stewards determined that the rear plank of Car 12 was below the minimum thickness required and is therefore in breach of Article 3.2.2 of the technical regulations. The team explained that they had measured the plank before the race and that it was compliant, and that the reason for the measurements being outside of the tolerances was due to wear during the race. The team further noted that a section of the plank was missing at the edge on the same side that was found to be noncompliant.

"They offered that whatever impact damaged the edge could have also caused that side of the plank to thereafter ride lower, thus causing the nonconformity. The team did not offer any incident that could have caused the damage other than transiting curbs, which the stewards consider to be a normal part of racing. The technical delegate stated that the plank appeared to be a normal post-race plank."

The statement continued: "The base regulation has a tolerance built in and an additional tolerance for wear and tear is already provided. It is not appropriate for the stewards to grant further leeway based on wear and tear. The stewards find that plank wear is a foreseeable consequence of racing and as such it is the responsibility of the team to set up a car in such a way that such deviations do not lead to technical non-conformity.

"The stewards further note that the onus is on the competitor to ensure that the car is in compliance with the regulations at all times during an event (2025 Formula 3 Sporting Regulations Article 3.2) therefore, the standard penalty for a breach of the Technical Regulations is imposed."

In the same race, Laurens van Hoepen was disqualifed after three of his tyres failed to meet the minimum prescribed for the event.

And in a sensational run of disqualifications on a chaotic day, Alex Dunne suffered a similar fate after finishing second in the Formula Two feature race. Like Tsolov, Dunne's car was found to have not met the required plank thickness after the event.

That came after Dunne enjoyed a brilliant debut in a McLaren during the Formula One practice sessions. The 19-year-old replaced Lando Norris and took a hugely impressive fourth place, finishing only a tenth of a second behind Championship leader Oscar Piastri.