DAMS’ Jake Hughes will start the final feature race of the 2016 GP3 Series season in Abu Dhabi from the pit lane after receiving a penalty after qualifying, the series has confirmed.
The British driver went onto the race track with a cooler still on his car as he left the pit lane during the session, something the stewards deemed as a car being released in an unsafe condition.
Hughes had qualified 20th on the grid but receives a three-place grid penalty that relegates him to the pit lane. The penalty compounds his misery after an engine failure during the session prevented him from improving his position.
It is the latest unlucky problem for Hughes, who has retired from three of the last six races in the series.
This decision promotes Koiranen GP’s Matevos Isaakyan and Jenzer Motorsport’s Alessio Lorandi, who had qualified on the back row of the grid, up to 20th and 21st on the grid.
ART Grand Prix’s Alex Albon will start the race from pole position ahead of Arden International’s Jake Dennis and Jack Aitken.
