GP3: Kirchh?fer demoted on race 1 grid for blocking

Marvin Kirchh?fer has lost his third place on the race 1 starting grid and will start from three places further back when the lights go out for the start of Saturday's GP3 race.

The ART driver was deemed to have impeded Koiranen GP's Matt Parry at turns 8-9 during the morning qualifying session.

The penalty promotes Arden's Emil Bernstorff to third place on the grid, and he will be joined on the second row by Carlin's Antonio Fuoco. Also getting a one place raise from the race stewards' decision is Arden's Kevin Ceccon who will now start from fifth place.

The penalty puts Kirchh?fer just one place on the grid ahead of the man he is accused of blocking in qualifying, with Parry set to start just behind in seventh place.

Parry said afterwards that while he'd been blocked by Kirchh?fer on a key flying lap it hadn't been on purpose and that the German had himself been held up - an analysis that Kirchh?fer not surprisingly agreed with, as he complained that the three-place penalty he had received from the race officials was unnecessarily harsh.

Revised GP3 race 1 starting grid

1. Luca Ghiotto Trident
2. Esteban Ocon ART Grand Prix
3. Emil Bernstorff Arden International
4. Antonio Fuoco Carlin
5. Kevin Ceccon Arden International
6. Marvin Kirchh?fer * ART Grand Prix
7. Matthew Parry Koiranen GP
8. Math?o Tuscher Jenzer Motorsport
9. Jimmy Eriksson Koiranen GP
10. Alfonso Celis Jr ART Grand Prix
11. Jann Mardenborough Carlin
12. P?l Varhaug Jenzer Motorsport
13. Seb Morris Status Grand Prix
14. ?lex Palou Campos Racing
15. Mitchell Gilbert Carlin
16. Ralph Boschung Jenzer Motorsport
17. Artur Janosz Trident
18. Alex Fontana Status Grand Prix
19. Beitske Visser Trident
20. Adderly Fong Koiranen GP
21. Aleksander Bosak Arden International
22. Zaid Ashkanani Campos Racing
23. Sandy Stuvik Status Grand Prix

* Penalised three places for impeding a rival in qualifying