Di Grassi excluded from qualifying; Vandoorne penalised

Lucas di Grassi has been excluded from qualifying for the FIA Formula E Santiago E-Prix after an “infraction of the slow in-lap procedure”.

The Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler driver was investigated after groups qualifying but he was able to proceed to the Super Pole Shootout.

He qualified on pole position by almost sevent tenths of a second ahead of Nissan e.dams’ Sebastien Buemi, who will now start from pole.

A rule change ahead of the Santiago E-Prix stipulated that brakes should be used with the same intensity on an in-lap as a fast lap.

di Grassi will therefore start at the back of the grid in 22^nd place. Buemi moves into pole position while Mahindra Racing driver Pascal Wehrlein, making only his second appearance in Formula E, will start from the front row.

Meanwhile, HWA Racelab driver Stoffel Vandoorne was also penalised – although starts where he qualified due to di Grassi’s penalty.

Vandoorne qualified for the Super Pole Shootout and set the fifth best time in that session.

Replays showed he left the pit lane after the lights turned red which meant he was excluded from the results of Super Pole.

He was due to start sixth after his penalty was applied, but di Grassi’s penalty means he will start in fifth place.