F3: 16-year-old Beckmann loses pole

David Beckmann has been stripped of his pole position for the first race of the Formula 3 European Championship round at Hockenheim. The German's Mucke Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes failed the bodywork flexibility test in post-qualifying scrutineering.

The floor of the car was crooked and did not meet with the required ride-height dimensions as prescribed in the regulations.

Mucke technical director Peter Fluckiger said that the discrepancy was most likely caused by running wide onto the curbs at Turn 1, something most of the competitors were doing.

It means that champion Lance Stroll moves up onto pole position and forms an all-Prema Powerteam front row with Maximilian Gunther, while Carlin F3 debutant Jake Hughes is up to third.

Beckmann's exclusion from qualifying means he will start race one from the back of the grid. Meanwhile, George Russell's trio of 10-place grid penalties has been confirmed after his Hitech Grand Prix Dallara-Mercedes needed an engine change following free practice.

In addition, yet another engine change for the Motopark squad's line-up of Dallara-Volkswagens means that Niko Kari has now notched up an F3-record 23-place grid penalty for race one. This is because the Finnish Red Bull Junior is simultaneously serving the last of his three penalties carried over from the preceding round at Imola, where he was also pinged with a three-place penalty for an incident in the final race.

The latest engine change means that, in company with Russell, Kari will also take 10 places in penalties for races two and three.

Originally on Autosport.com