Santino Ferrucci, 2018

Trident apologises to Maini after team mate Ferrucci receives four-race ban

Formula Two

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The Trident Formula Two team have apologised to their driver Arjun Maini after team mate Santino Ferrucci was banned for four races for deliberately hitting him.

In an extraordinary incident, Trident and Haas development driver Ferrucci appeared to deliberately drive into the back of team mate Maini after the end of the Formula Two sprint race at Silverstone.

Ferrucci failed to attend the stewards hearing when summoned and has consequently been banned from participating in the next two rounds – four races – of the Formula Two season, while also receiving a €60,000 fine.

Initially after the incident, Ferrucci appeared to mock his team mate on Twitter. “Says the one that cries on the radio,” he posted. “I just did my drug test so I’m all clear.

“Maybe if they showed what you did to me during the race more people would understand.”

After Ferrucci’s ban was announced, Trident issued a public apology in which they came down firmly on Maini’s side.

“Trident intends to show their solidarity and support to Arjun Maini and his family, for the unsportsmanlike and above all uncivilized behavior that he was forced to endure not only during this last weekend by Santino Ferrucci and father, who accompanied him,” the team stated.

They indicated Ferrcci may not have a seat to return to once his ban ends.

“The contractual implications of what has happened will be dealt with by our lawyers,” said the team. “Never in these 12 years of sporting activity has anything even close to this ever occurred. We apologize for the show that we have regretfully offered.”

Trident currently languish at the bottom of the Formula Two team standings, with 30 points. Arjun Maini is currently 15th in the drivers’ standings on 23 points, while Ferrucci sits 18th on seven points.

Video: Ferrucci hits Maini

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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39 comments on “Trident apologises to Maini after team mate Ferrucci receives four-race ban”

  1. Shocking incidents! I always believe there needs to be an opportunity in the future for redemption and forgiveness, but a race ban and presumably firing from the his race team seems well in order given the nature and magnitude of the transgressions.

    1. Magnitude and seeming lack of regret. It is real quite shocking

  2. GtisBetter (@)
    8th July 2018, 20:40

    F2 surely has some characters this season!

  3. Sush meerkat
    8th July 2018, 20:40

    Promote him to Kimi’s seat

  4. 4 races for that? That was just a tap. What a joke. Seems consistent with the 4 race ban vettel got for driving into Hamilton at baku… Oh wait.

    1. +1

      i think 4 races is quite extreme but Vettel really should have had to sit out at least 1 to set an example. Let’s not forget the young drivers look up to F1 so is it any surprise this happens again a few years later ?

    2. @ppzzus You clearly didn’t understand, the only reason that penalty was this harsh was because he twice ignored calls from the stewards to meet them. If Vettel did that, I doubt that he wouldn’t be given a far harsher penalty.

    3. @ppzzus, it was multiple factors – he pushed Maini off the track during the race, then there was the collision after the race – which wasn’t spontaneous either, but a premeditated move – after which he simply refused to go to explain himself to the stewards despite being investigated for those two incidents. As an aside, those offences came on top of another incident where he was also walking around in a live pit lane whilst chatting away on his phone and seemingly paying no attention to where he was walking.

      On top of that, there are also reports that Santino and his father spent most of the weekend throwing racist abuse at Arjun Maini, and at Arjan’s brother, which would appear to be the “uncivilized behaviour” by Santino and his father that Trident were referring to.

      Basically, the reports of his behaviour throughout the weekend paint a picture of somebody out of control of his behaviour and acting in a pretty repulsive manner – it sounds like few will morn his absence from the grid in the coming races.

      1. GtisBetter (@)
        8th July 2018, 22:01

        He was driving with the cellphone. So he got a penalty for not having gloves on in the car AND having a phone in the car.

      2. Shocking account. What on earth is wrong with these people?

      3. Mickey's Miniature Grandpa
        9th July 2018, 0:03

        Maybe Ferrucci has decided he doesn’t like single seaters and was trying to land a NASCAR drive.

      4. Basically, Santini got the heaviest penalty it’s possible to issue at the circuit without reference to further tribunal. Don’t rule out the possibility that said tribunal may happen, since both Trident and the FIA seem rather incensed by the affair.

    4. @ppzzus The defiance, the lack of contrition, the fact that there were several offenses which I think had a compounding effect, and the fact that it’s a young driver’s category. I agree Vettel should have been suspended for Baku 2017. But I also understand why they didn’t. Just have a look at the number of DSQ that take place in F2, it will surprise you.

  5. Absolutely despicable behaviour. A two-race ban is the least they can do considering the crash, the Twitter comments, and the failure to attend TWO calls to the stewards.

    I hope he will never again set foot in F2 or any other racing formula near this level.

    1. I suspect he won’t if Trident gets their way about it!

  6. Kind of confirmes Vettel got away pretty good after Baku 2017

    1. Also shows how that has affected younger drivers.

    2. Deshawn Seneviratne
      9th July 2018, 8:34

      This is deffierent because santino had multiple incidents this weekend along with texting and driving

  7. On track behaviour was bad enough.
    Off track so much worse.
    Doesn’t show up to the stewards office then berates and belittles his team mate on the internet, backing up the claims that him and his dad abuse Arjun. Completely childish and stupid.
    Good to aee Trident backing Arjun, a driver with actual talent not just in this position because of his nationality getting him affiliation with Haas.

    1. I am hoping that we will soon see a statement from Haas that severs their association with this guy.

      1. Haas have said, “Haas F1 Team is still in the process of gathering all of the pertinent information regarding Santino Ferrucci and his actions during the Formula 2 event this past weekend at Silverstone. We appreciate your patience,” which reads to me like “We’re discussing with the lawyers exactly what we need to do to get as much separation from this story as possible without getting a court case on our backs”.

  8. Not my guy Santino 🤦🏿‍♂️

    We still got his back nevertheless #ConnecticutRepresentative

  9. I Wonder what haas will do with him.

  10. Calum Menzies
    9th July 2018, 0:07

    They should have made an example of Vettel for Baku last season.

    Quite right the boy in F2 gets a ban. You should never deliberately hit rival cars!

  11. Neil (@neilosjames)
    9th July 2018, 0:16

    I do watch most of the F2 races but rarely notice Ferrucci, and a glance at his racing record reveals why. Unless he’s packing some Stroll-level parental support, I don’t imagine he’ll be back (or missed).

    1. He has some support (to do Haas reserve role and F2 at the same time, with his results level, is unlikely to be free), but if it was Stroll-like, he would almost certainly not have been in F2 this year (since it would have been able to pay for enough training to allow Santino into a pay-driver racing role in a F1 team by now).

  12. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
    9th July 2018, 1:29

    This is a weird one for Haas, because Maini and Ferrucci are both Haas development drivers.

    The right thing to do, is dump Ferrucci. Not so much for his on track behavior, but his despicable off track behavior both before and after the race.

    Unfortunately, I doubt much will come of it, other than a slap on the wrist and maybe a suspension and probation.

    1. For that lack of common sense in selecting a victim alone, I suspect Santino’s contract won’t be renewed…

  13. I watch to much NASCAR to think much of this. A simple fine & points penalty should suffice.

  14. Maybe he saw Vettel’s punishment in Baku last year and expected a slap on the wrist?

    Seriously though, kiss your career goodbye kid.

  15. Give him a few more races for those jeans he wore to the Haas launch

  16. The ban is for upcoming 2 FIA events and not 2 races which is just too lenient.

    FIA Formula 2

    Verified account

    @FIA_F2
    14h14 hours ago
    More
    CORRECTION: He’s suspended for the next two events, not races.

    1. @Chaitanya 2 FIA events is 4 races, because F2 has 2 races per event. This makes it harsher than it might otherwise have been… …and to do more, I believe, would require a tribunal.

  17. Full of controversy.

  18. Does anyone have a link to the driving with a mobile phone video? That’s got to be one of the oddest transgressions in racing history.

  19. The move on Maini was stupid enough, but his complete lack of remorse post race is what is shocking. That sort of behaviour simply shouldn’t be tolerated and I applaud the team and the FIA for emphatically showing this isn’t on. Trident suggesting there are “contractual implications” suggests to me that Ferrucci will be losing his seat.

  20. Just two events?

    Seems rhat every step up in class means lesser penalties.

    Vettel got only a 10s Stop&go but Dan Ticktum got a full year ban for deliberately hitting another driver. And reading about it imho Ferruci should also get a year long ban. Maybe then he will learn to behave.

    1. Full-year bans can’t be issued trackside for international events – they have to go to tribunal.

  21. If Ferrucci ever make it to F1, I know who I will never support (despite being a supporter of the Haas team). Ferrucci might say in public how sorry he is about the racist remark (if it’s true and the team’s response appears to be consistent with the rumour), but that’s something never change, a person either knows how respect other people or they don’t (based on their upbringing). If his father was involved, it’s no surprise it’s like father like son.

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