F3: Giovinazzi hopes for penalty U-turn

Macau Grand Prix qualification race on-the-road winner Antonio Giovinazzi's Carlin team is hoping that new evidence will lead to his post-race penalty being rescinded.

Giovinazzi was penalized for his part in his collision while battling with Daniel Juncadella for second place on lap one, which ended with Juncadella in the barriers and three other cars forced out immediately.

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The decision was taken just before the checkered flag to award Giovinazzi a drive-through penalty, which was converted to a 20-second time penalty because it was too late for the Italian to take it, dropping him to 10th place.

While such penalties cannot be appealed, Carlin is hoping that on-board footage from various cars will encourage a different decision from officials, who can change their mind if new evidence reveals an injustice.

The team is convinced that freeze-framed footage shows Juncadella moving slightly across the road to the right before contact is made with Giovinazzi, who is half a car length back.

Team boss Trevor Carlin said: "There's not one mark on our car, and Antonio said he didn't feel a thing. He had no intention of trying to overtake Juncadella at that point."

Juncadella added: "Braking into Lisboa I gave him a bit of room, because I remembered the crash between Tom Blomqvist and Esteban Ocon last year. At the exit I was really close to the wall, and he was really close to me. It was really unfortunate; I don't think he did it on purpose.

"He's a smart driver, but there's nothing I could do to avoid the accident."

Juncadella said he was fortunate to escape injury in the ensuing pile-up, and is concerned that his Fortec Motorsport car's tub damage may be too severe for him to race in Sunday's Macau Grand Prix, which he would start from the back of the grid.

Originally on Autosport.com