Lacorte handed one-race suspension after Barcelona F3 feature race

Written by Trisha Lynnette

Credit: Formula 3 via X

Nicola Lacorte, currently racing for Hitech TGR in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season, has been given a one-race suspension after exceeding the maximum allowable penalty points on his racing license.

During the Feature Race in Barcelona, Lacorte breached Article 39.3 (d) of the 2025 FIA F3 Sporting Regulations by failing to stay above the minimum delta time behind the safety car in eight consecutive marshalling sectors. As a result, he received a ten-second stop-and-go penalty and was given three penalty points. This brought his total to 14 which surpassed the season limit of 12 points, triggering his one-race weekend suspension.

Lacorte will serve his suspension at the upcoming race weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. As per the FIA regulations, 12 points will now be deducted from his license following the ban, leaving him with 2 points on record.

However, in a further complication, the Italian driver was penalised again in the Barcelona Feature Race, this time for dropping below the minimum delta time in nine consecutive sectors during the final three laps of the race. This earned him another ten-second stop-and-go penalty, which was converted into a post-race 30-second time addition, along with three more penalty points.

This places Lacorte at 5 penalty points following the removal of his previous points.

With a tightened margin, Lacorte must exercise heightened caution in the coming rounds to avoid further infractions that could risk additional sanctions.

Credit: Formula 3 via X

Rodin Motorsport’s Roman Bilinski was also handed a ten-second time penalty which was converted into a five-place grid drop for the next FIA Formula 3 race he participates in. This was due to an incident involving AIX Racing’s Jose Garfias, where the two drivers collided and retired from the Feature Race. The 21-year-old was deemed at fault for causing this collision and has received two penalty points on his license as a result.

While Bilinski’s penalty remains well below the threshold for a race suspension, the incident adds to his driver record and serves as a reminder of the consequences of on-track infractions and collisions as the season progresses.