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Paul Ricard F2: Ex-F1 driver Roberto Merhi loses podium finish

Ex-Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi has been disqualified from his Paul Ricard Formula 2 podium finish for a tyre infringement

The MP Motorsport driver excelled in the early part of the race, which featured wet conditions, as he rose from 14th on the grid.

As the track dried he hung on to score the team's second podium in as many rounds, but after the race his car was deemed to be non-compliant with the regulations.

An F2 statement read: "It was determined that car #9 was in breach of the technical regulations having failed to comply with the tyre pressure specifications.

"All four tyres were below the minimum tyre pressures specified by the tyre manufacturer and, as a consequence, Roberto Merhi has been disqualified from the final results having finished in third place."

The decision means Luca Ghiotto takes a podium despite two spins at the entry to the circuit's main straight, which preceded a brilliant recovery drive to fourth on the road.

Nicholas Latifi had fought tooth and nail to secure eighth overall and the reversed-grid pole in a last-lap duel with Tadasuke Makino, but Latifi now moves up to seventh with Honda junior driver Makino inheriting the prime position for Sunday's race.

MP Motorsport's loss of an F2 podium follows its GP3 drivers Dorian Boccolacci and Niko Kari being disqualified from first and fifth in their race earlier on Saturday having been unable to give the required fuel samples.

Revised race one result

Pos Driver Team Laps Gap
1 George Russell ART Grand Prix 30 58m28.750s
2 Sergio Sette Camara Carlin 30 1.108s
3 Luca Ghiotto Campos Vexatec Racing 30 37.879s
4 Antonio Fuoco Charouz Racing System 30 43.655s
5 Nyck de Vries Pertamina Prema Theodore Racing 30 45.680s
6 Louis Deletraz Charouz Racing System 30 53.226s
7 Nicholas Latifi DAMS 30 1m16.951s
8 Tadasuke Makino RUSSIAN TIME 30 1m17.343s
9 Nirei Fukuzumi BWT Arden 30 1m20.384s
10 Arjun Maini Trident 30 1m30.605s
11 Jack Aitken ART Grand Prix 30 1m32.469s
12 Maximilian Guenther BWT Arden 30 1m37.662s
13 Santino Ferrucci Trident 29 1 Lap
14 Artem Markelov RUSSIAN TIME 29 1 Lap
15 Roy Nissany Campos Vexatec Racing 29 1 Lap
16 Lando Norris Carlin 29 1 Lap
- Roberto Merhi MP Motorsport 30 Disqualified
- Alexander Albon DAMS 18 Retirement
- Ralph Boschung MP Motorsport 12 Retirement
- Sean Gelael Pertamina Prema Theodore Racing 7 Retirement

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