Ex-Toyota Racing Series driver Santino Ferrucci has been slapped with a four race ban (the next two rounds) after causing a collision with his Trident team-mate, Arjun Maini, on the cool-down lap of Sunday’s Formula 2 Sprint Race at Silverstone in the UK.
The Haas Formula 1 junior driver was fined €60,000 after it was determined that Ferrucci deliberately drove into the rear of his teammate. He was also disqualified from the results of that race having earlier forced Maini off the road at Turn 4.
Race stewards heard testimony from the team (that’s his own team) that this was a premeditated incident. Ferrucci was summoned to the hearing but declined to attend! (Wow, I wouldn’t like to be in his shoes when he turns up to the next race meeting).
Ferrucci was also seen driving with a glove off between the F2 and F1 paddocks at Silverstone on Sunday, which is not allowed, while on his mobile phone! Add to the €60,000 another €6000 for these ‘minor’ offenses.
Autosport.com quotes him saying “I have no excuse other than the fact I am a 20-year-old Italian American with a deep passion for motorsport, which is a very emotional sport.”
Talk about digging a hole for yourself! A definition of passion is a strong and barely controllable emotion, not uncontrollable!
Ferrucci competed in the 2015 Toyota Racing Series winning one race and finishing third overall to current Williams F1 driver Lance Stroll. Ferrucci’s F2 team mate Arjun Maini was also competing in the series and finished fourth overall, winning two races and putting his car on pole four times.
Maybe this is not quite as bad as current FIA Formula 3 European Championship driver Daniel Ticktum’s ‘head-explosion’ in 2015.
The British teenager was served with a two-year racing ban (the second year suspended) when he overtook 10 competitors under safety car conditions to catch and crash into MSA Formula championship rival Ricky Collard in race three at the Silverstone round.
Ticktum currently sits just one-point behind Kiwi driver Marcus Armstrong in the Euro F3 series after three rounds. The Brit driver is very quick, becoming a Red Bull Junior driver last season. They really like him and have recently touted him as a possible replacement for Brendon Hartley at Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2019. (It is interesting that the rumours are now about the end of the season).
Well here’s the rub! To compete in Formula One, a driver needs 40 Super Licence points. If Ticktum does win the Euro F3 champs he will gain 30 points but will still be 10 points shy. This is enough points to allow him to take part in F1 testing and free-practice but not a racing.
This season Ticktum is also competing in the Japanese Super Formula Series. So far he has only finished in one of the three races he has lined up in with the Red Bull sponsored Team Mugen.
Also competing in Super Formula is Kiwi Nick Cassidy who won the latest round last weekend at the Fuji Speedway. From the writer’s calculation, Cassidy is currently sitting on 30 Super Licence points. (These can be accumulated over the preceding three years).
Cassidy finished fourth overall in the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship (10 points) and fifth overall in the Japanese Super GT Series (5 points). In 2017 he won the Super GT Series and gathered another 15 points. He currently sits second overall in the 2018 Super Formula Series and fifth in the Super GT Series after 4/8 rounds.
Red Bull Racing don’t appear to have a problem with Ticktum’s colourful past! They are more interested in winners!
It will now be interesting how Haas F1 views Ferrucci’s indiscretion, particularly as it was with his team mate.
Meanwhile let’s hope Armstrong and Cassidy keep winning their respective championships as we will enjoy watching Brendon Hartley driving the rest of the F1 season with a passion.
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