Ferrari driver disqualified and suspended after bonkers Mugello crash

Last weekend, racing wasn’t limited to F1’s Mexican Grand Prix. The Ferrari Challenge also took centre stage at the Finali Mondiali held at Mugello.

This prestigious event unites Ferrari Challenge champions from around the globe. Unfortunately, a dramatic crash led to both a disqualification and a suspension for one of the drivers.

Before all the champions converged for the Finali Mondiali, the European championship season concluded with two races.

Leading the standings was Felix Hirsiger, holding an eight-point advantage over Jasin Ferati.

In a surprising twist, Hirsiger’s team, Reparto Corse, decided to deploy an extra Ferrari 296 Challenge car driven by Fabrizio Crestani—a move that would soon spell trouble.

The starting grids for both races were determined in one qualifying session, and that’s when everything went wrong.

Disqualification and suspension for Crestani

During qualifying, Crestani deliberately blocked Ferati to help his teammate Hirsiger.

At one point, Ferati was forced onto the grass before Crestani continued his aggressive manoeuvres, eventually colliding with a car from Emil Frey Racing.

Both vehicles ended up in the gravel trap, leaving Ferati unable to post a competitive lap time. The stewards responded swiftly by disqualifying Crestani and imposing a suspension, effectively ejecting him from the entire five-day event.

You can see the madness all play out on this link.

“Crestani’s actions fall well short of the sportsmanship and respect that have defined the Ferrari Challenge since 1993,” the officials commented. As a result of the lost time, Ferati had to start both races from the back.

Ferati's Two Comeback Races Fall Just Short of the Title

After Race 1, Hirsiger appeared to extend his lead by an extra eight points over Ferati after finishing in second place.

However, Emil Frey Racing lodged a protest against Hirsiger, pointing out that he was missing a small piece of plastic on his steering wheel—a clear breach of the technical regulations.

As a consequence, Hirsiger was disqualified. Ferati then made an impressive climb from P22 to P6, ultimately finishing in fifth place. This result allowed him to enter the season finale with a narrow two-point lead over Hirsiger.

Despite starting from pole position, Hirsiger managed to maintain his momentum and secure the victory. Ferati, too, showcased a remarkable performance by surging from P24 to P5, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Hirsiger and claim the European Ferrari Challenge championship.

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