Red Bull-backed Juri Vips has been excluded from the results of Formula 2 qualifying in Bahrain and will start Sprint Race 1 and the Feature Race from the back of the grid.
Vips had qualified in fifth position for Hitech Grand Prix, meaning he was set to start the Feature Race from that spot, and Sprint Race 1 from sixth.
But his Hitech-run car failed post-session scrutineering checks.
The undertray fins of Vips’ car were found to be 6.5mm lower than the minimum height stipulated and even accounting for the 5mm tolerance this breached the lower limit by 1.5mm.
Vips has consequently been disqualified and must start Sprint Race 1 and the Feature Race from the rear of the 22-car grid.
Vips’ exclusion means ART Grand Prix’s Theo Pourchaire, who qualified 11th, now moves into 10th position in the classification.
As a result of the new-for-2021 format Pourchaire will start Sprint Race 1 from pole position.
Guanyu Zhou claimed pole position for the Feature Race but faced a post-session query after returning to the Formula 1 pit lane rather than the Support pit lane.
It was determined that Zhou “only realised too late” that he was required to enter the Support pit lane and was “cautioned to carefully read and follow all notes in the future.”
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