How Many Points the FIA Penalty in Barcelona Cost Tsolov
A five-second penalty for an off-track overtake on Gabriele Mini, confirmed only through high-resolution video review, dropped Tsolov from the podium to fourth place in Barcelona.
Nikola Tsolov found out firsthand just how thin the line is between a legal and an illegal overtake in Formula 2, after receiving an FIA penalty following the feature race in Barcelona that directly cost him a position and points in the championship standings.
The stewards applied a five-second time penalty to the Bulgarian for overtaking Gabriele Mini’s car off the track at Turns 10 and 11. According to the stewards’ decision, “car number 6 overtook car number 9 off the track,” in breach of Article 27.3 of the Formula 2 sporting regulations.
The stewards themselves acknowledged that the infringement was extremely marginal – Tsolov had been off the track for an extremely brief moment and by a minimal distance from the white line, with high-resolution footage needed to confirm the breach.
Despite the marginal nature of the incident, the penalty had a real effect on the result – Tsolov, initially classified higher, dropped to fourth place once the penalty was applied. Alex Dunne, who moved up to second, and Mini himself, who climbed to third, were the ones who benefited from the swap.
The case illustrates just how fine a line the championship leader is walking this season – even a minimal technical infringement, confirmed only through detailed video analysis, is enough for the stewards to strip away a position and the points that go with it, something Tsolov and his Campos Racing team will be keeping in mind in the season’s decisive phase.
