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Gabriele Tarquini given 30-second penalty for incident with Ma Qing Hua

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Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini has been given a 30-second penalty by the stewards following an incident in race two when the Italian made contact with Citroën Racing’s Ma Qing Hua. The penalty drops Tarquini from fifth to 12th, promoting Ma to fifth as a result.

The two were fighting throughout the start of race, with Tarquini grabbing fourth from Ma on the first lap, before the Chinese driver retook the position with a pass on the Italian at Turn 11 on lap three.

“In the second race, I was in the middle of the action so I fought from the first corner to the last corner,” said Tarquini to TouringCarTimes. “I had many contacts with Ma, twice, he pushed off on the first lap, and I tried to overtake him and after I touched him again in corner number 1.”

Tarquini and Ma made contact through the first corner at the start of lap four, which saw the Chinese driver fall down the order, with Tarquini losing just one spot to Rob Huff’s Lada. Tarquini went on to finish fifth after a race long battle with Sébastien Loeb and Rob Huff, but in the post race investigation the stewards found Tarquini at fault for the contact and gave him a 30-second penalty in lieu of a drive-through which drops him to 12th position.