Kvyat handed grid penalty, moves closer to race ban

Daniil Kvyat has been penalised by race stewards following Saturday's qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Kvyat was handed a three-place grid penalty for "unnecessarily impeding" Williams driver Lance Stroll during Q1. The penalty drops him down from 13th place to 16th on the grid for the start of the race.

He's also received an extra penalty point on his Formula 1 superlicence. It puts him on a total of ten points for the year, two away from an automatic one race ban.

It's the third race weekend in a row in which the Russian has picked up penalty points. He received two points for hitting Fernando Alonso on the opening lap of the Austrian Grand Prix. There were two more points added after he hit his team mate Carlos Sainz on the first lap at Silverstone.

The latest incident happened after Kvyat had spun off late in the first round of qualifying at the Hungaroring. He came back on track and was heading back to the pits very slowly, catching out Stroll who was on a fast lap.

“The Stewards determined that Kvyat was on an exceptionally slow lap having spun earlier and damaged his tyres,” read a statement from the stewards.

• Hungary GP: Vettel claims pole and track record in qualifying

“The Stewards acknowledged that he was warned by the team very late of the approach of Stroll who was on a fast lap. Further, Kvyat pulled as far to the right as he could as soon as he saw Stroll. However, the Stewards considered that these were not mitigating factors.

"Kvyat was driving exceptionally slowly and taking the racing line at the end of Q1 when other drivers were attempting to set fast laps and this led to the unnecessary impeding.”

Kvyat defended himself by saying that he had only been following the teams' instructions at the time.

"Unfortunately it happens. I was asked to bring the car in slowly because of vibrations," he explained.

"We had a miscommunication with the team, the team didn't tell me anyone was coming," he said. "The speed was so different and when I saw him, I went on the grass but for them [the stewards] it was not enough even that."

Kvyat was asked if he felt he was being singled out for the blame every time something happened on track.

"They like to make an example out of me," he suggested. "I don't care any more," he added, saying that he did "not see any point" in complaining to race director Charlie Whiting.

"I have to accept their decision," he shrugged.

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter