Pic excluded from the results of the qualifying session

Charles Pic was all smiles yesterday after he had qualified P3 for Spa’s feature race. However, the Frenchman had to stop prematurely during the session on what looked like mechanical gremlins, but turned out that the Addax car had run out of fuel. It was later found that the #3 car did not comply with the technical regulations.

The 2011 GP2 Series Sporting Regulations entitle the scrutineers to check the eligibility of a car or a competitor at any time during an event and to require a competitor to supply them with such parts or samples as they may deem necessary. The technical regulations also state that fuels and lubricants must conform to the specifications laid out in the Mecachrome, Hewland, Dallara and GP2 system user manuals.

The #3 Barwa Addax car had insufficient fuel available with which to undertake an analysis. As a consequence, Charles Pic has been excluded from the results of the qualifying session. Pic will therefore start from last on today’s starting grid.

Davide Valsecchi will be dropped ten grid places in tomorrow’s feature race at Spa-Francorchamps after it was found that the Italian had set his fastest sector time during today’s qualifying session when the yellow flags were displayed.

The Caterham Team AirAsia driver was fighting to find some extra pace in the final stages of the thirty minute session when Charles Pic stopped on the track in the third sector. Having failed to slow down sufficiently, Valsecchi was handed a ten grid place position penalty for tomorrow’s feature race. He initially qualified P21 and will now start from last.