Driver disqualified at Spa-Francorchamps after bizarre infringement

Campos Racing's Noel Leon has been disqualified from the Formula 2 feature race at Spa-Francorchamps under bizarre circumstances.

Leon originally crossed the line and was classified in seventh place, but was subsequently placed under investigation by the stewards following the race.

The stewards alleged that Leon, as well as team-mate Nikola Tsolov, were in breach of the regulations, as it was claimed that "a non-operational person was using a headset with a microphone fitted in the pit lane during Race 2."

The incident occurred in the pit lane during a red flag period following a crash for Laurens Van Hoepen.

After hearing from the team, the stewards determined that Leon alone should be penalised, as the person involved was a guest of his.

During the hearing, the team manager informed the stewards that the guest concerned had inadvertently taken the wrong headset to tune into the team communications.

The guest in question was “approached by a scrutineer and informed that the headset was not permitted as it was fitted with a microphone.”

After reiterating that the headset was not permitted, the guest “subsequently put the headset back on and continued to use it.” 

The stewards added that “the team is expected to exercise greater care in controlling the allocation and use of such equipment” and noted that the guest was only seen using the headset in the feature race, with no evidence to suggest it was a repeat offence.

The stewards judged that there was a breach of Appendix 5 and Article 21.5 of the F2 Sporting Regulations and as a result, Leon was disqualified from the feature race, losing his seventh-place finish and the points that came with it.

On top of the disqualification, Campos Racing was fined €20,000, while 25 points were withdrawn from the team's championship standings.

The points deduction, however, is suspended subject to no further breach of the same regulation during the remainder of the 2026 season.