Luke Browning loses and Joshua Dufek disqualified in Formula 3 post-qualifying penalties

Credit: James Sutton via Getty Images

​After the Friday afternoon Formula 3 qualifying at the Hungaroring in Budapest, several drivers have been penalised including a disqualification for AIX Racing's Joshua Dufek and the lap time deletion for Luke Browning.

Browning and Dufek have both been penalised by the event's Stewards for being in breach of the regulations, with Browning losing his best lap time and Dufek being disqualified.

The pair are joined by the two Polish drivers, Kacper Sztuka of MP Motorsport and Piotr Wisnicki of Rodin Motorsport - in being penalised after qualifying took place.

Luke Browning of Hitech Pulse-Eight and Williams Academy (pictured). Credit: Joe Portlock via Getty Images

Browning of Hitech Pulse-Eight and Williams Academy found himself in the wall at the end of qualifying after making an error at turn 11 on his final run of the session. He would cause a red flag which would prevent other drivers, who were on laps, from improving.

A new rule that was brought in for the 2024 season was that if a driver would be the cause of a red flag in the session that would be of their own doing then their best lap time is to be deleted as a punishment for causing the disruption.

This would land Browning in trouble as this was he who caused the red flag. Therefore, according to Article 33.5 of the 2024 FIA F3 Sporting Regulations, Browning has his best timed lap removed, which would have had him qualify sevenrh.

This subsequently dropping Browning to 15th in the classification. A place he will start both races from. A nightmare for the Williams Academy talent.

Joshua Dufek (Pictured). Credit: Joe Portlock via Getty Images

In Josh Dufek's situation, the Austrian AIX Racing driver has been disqualified from the session at the Hungaroring for a technical infringement as his Car #28 was in breach of the regulations.
Dufek's car would be reported to the Stewards after the session, due to a post-session technical inspection finding the AIX Racing car to have something against the regulations, therefore the mattered would be referred to the Stewards.

The Austrian rookie would be disqualified from the session as his car was found to be in breach of the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Technical regulations. Dufek's car was below the minimum weight required and therefore in breach of Article 5.1.

This removing Dufek out of the pivotal top 12, which is vital in setting both grids. Dufek, due to his disqualification would be removed from the times, but will be able to go racing with a car, abiding by the rules, in the two races.

After Dufek and Browning would be demoted out of the top 12, the grid for the sprint race on Saturday would have a very different outlook to what the provisional classification suggested.
Initially with the top 12 as it was in the provisional classification, it would mean Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak was set to start from pole position. However, due to Dufek's disqualification and Browning's time deletion, Inhraphuvasak is promoted to 10th in the final classification and therefore will start Saturday's sprint race from third, as the top 12 are reversed.

This would now give Dino Beganovic a chance to pull himself back into outside championship contention as the Prema driver is now promoted to 12th and will start the sprint race from reverse grid pole.

Beganovic initially qualified 14th and now the Swedish driver will start on pole, with Italian racer Nikita Bedrin starting alongside him on the front row, in second.

Piotr Wisnicki of Rodin Motorsport (pictured). Credit: Joe Portlock via Getty Images

Speaking of Beganovic, he had allegedly been impeded by the Rodin Motorsport car of Polish driver Piotr Wisnicki. This matter would be referred to the Stewards after the qualifying session in Budapest.

It was determined by the Stewards that Wisnicki had unnecessarily impeded Beganovic in the 30-minute session. The Stewards, in their investigation, would speak to both drivers and team representatives as well as reviewing all relevant evidence.

Wisnicki would be handed a three-place grid penalty for the next Formula 3 event of which the Rodin driver is to compete. That is set to be the Saturday morning sprint race in Budapest.​

Kacper Sztuka of MP Motorsport (pictured). Credit: Joe Portlock via Getty Images

Lastly, Wisnicki's fellow Polish driver, Kacper Sztuka, would be penalised after the session for an impeding incident during the qualifying at the Hungaroring circuit.

Sztuka, of MP Motorsport, would be involved in an incident with Campos Racing's Colombian, Sebastian Montoya - son of former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. The MP Motorsport driver was alleged to have impeded Montoya.

After reviewing all evidence and discussing the incident with both drivers and team representatives, the Stewards would determine that Sztuka had unnecessarily impeded Montoya.

As punishment for this, Sztuka would be handed a three-place grid penalty for the impeding incident, which is to be served in the next race Sztuka is to compete in.

Kacper Sztuka will be the second driver of the MP Motorsport trio to serve a grid penalty for the Hungary sprint race after Alex Dunne has one carrying forward from the most recent race - the Silverstone feature race.

Dunne rejoined the track in an unsafe manner and was adjudged to have been an impact on the collision caused, on the Wellington Straight, between Van Amersfoort Racing's Sophia Floersch and Prema's Dino Beganovic.

The Irish racer was handed a 10-place grid penalty by the Stewards, after the race, for being found to have been wholly responsible for the incident. He will take the punishment in the Hungary sprint race along with his teammate (Sztuka) and the other three drivers.

​On-track action will continue in the Formula 3 weekend around the Hungaroring in Budapest, with the sprint race which is to get underway at 9:50am local track time, which is 8:50am UK time.

2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship: Round 8 - Hungary qualifying classification

1. Laurens Van Hoepen (Netherlands, ART Grand Prix)
2. Nikola Tsolov (Bulgaria, ART Grand Prix)
3. Leonardo Fornaroli (Italy, Trident)
4. Noel Leon (Mexico, Van Amersfoort Racing)
5. Santiago Ramos (Mexico, Trident)
6. Sami Meguetounif (France, Trident)
7. Tim Tramnitz (Germany, MP Motorsport)
8. Christian Mansell (Australia, ART Grand Prix)
9. Callum Voisin (Great Britain, Rodin Motorsport)
10. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (Thailand, AIX Racing)
11. Nikita Bedrin (Italy, AIX Racing)
12. Dino Beganovic (Sweden, Prema Racing)
13. Gabriele Mini (Italy, Prema Racing)
14. Oliver Goethe (Germany, Campos Racing)
15. Luke Browning (Great Britain, Hitech Pulse-Eight)
16. Max Esterson (United States, Jenzer Motorsport)
17. Joseph Loake (Great Britain, Rodin Motorsport)
18. Charlie Wurz (Austria, Jenzer Motorsport)
19. Mari Boya (Spain, Campos Racing)
20. Matias Zagazeta (Peru, Jenzer Motorsport_
21. Arvid Lindblad (Great Britain, Prema Racing)
22. Martinius Stenshorne (Norway, Hitech Pulse-Eight)
23. Piotr Wisnicki (Poland, Rodin Motorsport)
24. Cian Shields (Great Britain, Hitech Pulse-Eight)
25. Alex Dunne (Republic of Ireland, MP Motorsport)
26. Kacper Sztuka (Poland, MP Motorsport)
27. Sophia Floersch (Germany, Van Amersfoort Racing)
28. Tommy Smith (Australia, Van Amersfoort Racing)
29. Sebastian Montoya (Colombia, Campos Racing)
30. Joshua Dufek (Austria, AIX Racing)

2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship: Round 8 - Hungary sprint race starting grid 

Drivers who have a grid penalty to take place for the sprint race ONLY

1. Dino Beganovic (Sweden, Prema Racing)
2. Nikita Bedrin (Italy, AIX Racing)
3. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (Thailand, AIX Racing)
4. Callum Voisin (Great Britain, Rodin Motorsport)
5. Christian Mansell (Australia, ART Grand Prix)
6. Tim Tramnitz (Germany, MP Motorsport)
7. Sami Meguetounif (France, Trident)
8. Santiago Ramos (Mexico, Trident)
9. Noel Leon (Mexico, Van Amersfoort Racing)
10. Leonardo Fornaroli (Italy, Trident)
11. Nikola Tsolov (Bulgaria, ART Grand Prix)
12. Laurens Van Hoepen (Netherlands, ART Grand Prix)
13. Gabriele Mini (Italy, Prema Racing)
14. Oliver Goethe (Germany, Campos Racing)
15. Luke Browning (Great Britain, Hitech Pulse-Eight)
16. Max Esterson (United States, Jenzer Motorsport)
17. Joseph Loake (Great Britain, Rodin Motorsport)
18. Charlie Wurz (Austria, Jenzer Motorsport)
19. Mari Boya (Spain, Campos Racing)
20. Matias Zagazeta (Peru, Jenzer Motorsport)
21. Arvid Lindblad (Great Britain, Prema Racing)
22. Martinius Stenshorne (Norway, Hitech Pulse-Eight)
23. Cian Shields (Great Britain, Hitech Pulse-Eight)
24. Sophia Floersch (Germany, Van Amersfoort Racing)
25. Piotr Wisnicki (Poland, Rodin Motorsport)
26. Tommy Smith (Australia, Van Amersfoort Racing)
27. Kacper Sztuka (Poland, MP Motorsport)
28. Sebastian Montoya (Colombia, Campos Racing)
29. Alexander Dunne (Republic of Ireland, MP Motorsport)
30. Joshua Dufek (Austria, AIX Racing)​

Brandon Whiteside
Writer - F1 Journal