Introducing the rising star of the McLaren driver programme, Martinius Stenshorne.
On the same day he was announced as a new addition to the McLaren driver development programme, Martinius Stenshorne has been suspended from the Silverstone Formula 3 round.
Following a tantalizing hint from McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown regarding the addition of two promising young drivers to their lineup, the identities of Martinius Stenshorne and Alex Dunne were unveiled just before the Imola GP. However, Stenshorne’s joyous day quickly took a turn for the worse.
McLaren junior Martinius Stenshorne out of Silverstone F3 round
The FIA has made a surprising announcement that Stenshorne, a driver for Hitech Pulse-Eight team, will not be permitted to compete at Silverstone, the seventh round of the season in July. This decision was made as Stenshorne participated in another championship without obtaining approval from the FIA. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the stars of F3 will also be present at Imola this weekend for the third round of their campaign.
Stenshorne’s transgression occurred when he took part in the GB3 Championship round at Silverstone, the renowned venue for the British Grand Prix. The FIA deemed this participation as an “unfair advantage” for the 18-year-old, resulting in their decision to disqualify him from competing in F3 at that location.
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According to the FIA’s verdict, the stewards reviewed the report provided by the FIA, as well as the Official Testing and Race classifications. They called in and listened to both the driver and team representative, along with the representatives from the FIA and F3 Promoter.
According to the FIA Head of F2 and F3 Sporting Matters, Car 15’s driver (Stenshorne) was involved in the GB3 Test at Silverstone on April 25th and 26th. Additionally, the driver also competed in the GB3 event over the weekend.
“He further clarified that both the competitor and the driver failed to notify the FIA about their participation in the single seater testing, and did not seek any authorization to take part in the GB3 competition at Silverstone.”
The promoter representative stated that he had not been informed about the driver of Car 15 engaging in single seater testing. Additionally, he highlighted that both the competitor and the driver failed to request written approval from the promoter, as mandated by Article 10.4 e) of the Sporting Regulations.
The driver of Car 15 clarified that he had no knowledge of the obligations outlined in Article 10.4. He further mentioned that his involvement in both the test and the GB3 Event had been arranged by his management team.
The team representative clarified that he had no knowledge of the driver’s involvement in the GB3 test and competition at Silverstone until the stewards summoned him. However, he acknowledged that Hitech Pulse-Eight had a presence at the event, as they are responsible for running three cars in the GB3 Championship.
After careful deliberation, the stewards concluded that both the driver and the competitor neglected to inform the FIA and the promoter about the single seater testing as required by Article 10.4. Additionally, they failed to obtain written permission for the driver’s participation in a standalone event in GB3, as stipulated in Article 10.4 e) of the Sporting Regulations.
The stewards observed that both the FIA and the promoter representative acknowledged that had they been asked to include Car 15 in the independent race at Silverstone, they would have declined authorization due to the resemblances between the GB3 car and the F3 car, as well as the potential competitive advantage it would have afforded the driver.
As a result, the stewards have concluded that the driver of Car 15 has committed a significant violation of the testing regulations, resulting in an unfair advantage. Consequently, the driver of Car 15 will be suspended from participating in the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Silverstone event. Furthermore, the driver’s record will be penalized with an additional 4 penalty points.
In the latest F3 round held at Albert Park, Stenshorne emerged victorious in the sprint race.
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