F3: Russell stripped of front-row starts

George Russell has been stripped of his two front-row positions for the opening round of the Formula 3 European Championship at Paul Ricard.

The 18-year-old Briton's Hitech Grand Prix Dallara-Mercedes was found not to have the necessary 1kg of fuel available for a sample in scrutineering after the second qualifying session, which decides the grid for races two and three.

Russell will be allowed to start each of those two races from 21st – and last – on the grid.

Hitech director Oliver Oakes said: "We can't dress it up to be honest – we just didn't have enough fuel. The car itself is over the weight limit, but sadly we were 100g short of the fuel required for a sample."

Russell will still start race one from fourth on the grid, which was decided by first qualifying.

Both Russell and the Hitech team are pleased with form this weekend on a track where the team had not run before Thursday's official test, and where neither Russell nor team-mates Ben Barnicoat and Nikita Mazepin had driven.

"It's a shame for George," Oakes added. "He did a good job and this [the exclusion] is just an anomaly. He did a mega job in all the qualifying sessions – it's sad but rules are rules.

"What I care about is that George is doing so well and he was close to Prema [the dominant F3 team of the past five years], and that's great for the championship."

Originally on Autosport.com