GP2 Bahrain 2013: Grid penalties for Canamasas and Giovesi

Race stewards in Bahrain have handed out penalties to two drivers after events that took place in Friday afternoon's qualifying session at the Sakhir International Circuit.

Caterham Racing driver Sergio Canamasas has been excluded from qualifying and all his times deleted as a result of actions that took place just before and following the chequered flag at the end of the 30-minute session.

Canamasas was found to have deliberately moved direction twice in order to force Trident Racing's Kevin Ceccon off the track during the session. After qualifying ended, he was then deemed to have lain in wait for the Italian driver and made a further bid to force Ceccon off the track

Handing down the exclusion, stewards reported that the driver had "made a deliberate change of direction, adversely affecting another driver." He will still be allowed to start the feature race tomorrow despite not having any times within the 107% limit, but will have to begin the race from the back of the grid.

It's not the first time that Canamasas has been in hot water with the race stewards. Driving for Venezuela GP Lazarus at last season's final sprint race in Singapore, Canamasas was handed a routine drive-thru as a result of members of his pit team not leaving the grid in time before the start of the race. However Canamasas failed to serve the penalty despite radio calls from his team and messages hung over the pit wall. He also ignored black flags disqualifying him from the race and only finally stopped with a mechanical failure.

He later said that his radio was not working and he did not realise that the pit board and black flag messages had been for him, but he was subsequently fined an undisclosed amount for his actions over the offseason.

Also penalised by the race stewards in Bahrain was current Venezuela GP Lazarus driver Kevin Giovesi, after he was found to have held up Arden's Johnny Cecotto Jr. through turns 9 and 10 when the Venezuelan was on a flying lap. Giovesi loses three grid places and will now start from 18th.

In addition, ART driver James Calado - who set the 11th fastest time on Friday afternoon - will drop down to 21st position on the grid as he serves a ten-place penalty held over from the Malaysian round in March.

Calado's penalty was for making avoidable contact with Fabio Leimer on the first lap of the Sunday race in Sepang, which sent him sliding into Leimer's team mate Julian Leal and which also ended the race for Russian Time driver Sam Bird.

Starting grid
Row 1
1. #8 Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering
2. #1 Marcus Ericsson DAMS
Row 2
3. #9 Felipe Nasr Carlin
4. #18 Stefano Coletti Rapax
Row 3
5. #12 Tom Dillmann Russian Time
6. #2 St?phane Richelmi DAMS
Row 4
7. #15 Alexander Rossi Caterham Racing
8. #26 Adrian Quaife-Hobbs MP Motorsport
Row 5
9. #11 Sam Bird Russian Time
10. #22 Robin Frijns Hilmer Motorsport
Row 6
11. #19 Simon Trummer Rapax
12. #10 Jolyon Palmer Carlin
Row 7
13. #5 Johnny Cecotto Jr. Arden
14. #4 Daniel Abt ART GP
Row 8
15. #6 Mitch Evans Arden
16. #21 Kevin Ceccon Trident Racing
Row 9
17. #7 Juli?n Leal Racing Engineering
18. #25 Kevin Giovesi Venezuela GP Lazarus *
Row 10
19. #24 Rene Binder Venezuela GP Lazarus
20. #16 Jake Rosenzweig Barwa Addax
Row 11
21. #3 James Calado ART GP +
22. #20 Nathana?l Berthon Trident Racing
Row 12
23. #23 Pal Varhaug Hilmer Motorsport
24. #17 Rio Haryanto Barwa Addax
Row 13
25. #27 Dani?l de Jong MP Motorsport
26. #14 Sergio Canamasas Caterham Racing ?
* - three-place grid penalty for impeding+ - ten-place penalty for avoidable contact in Malaysia? - qualifying times deleted for deliberately steering into rival