Haas' American development driver, Santino Ferrucci, has been sacked by his Formula 2 team after deliberately crashing into his teammate on the cool down lap of a race earlier this month.

Ferrucci was handed a four-race ban after intentionally hitting the rear of fellow Haas junior Arjun Maini's car after the F2 sprint race which preceded the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 8. He was later disqualified from that race result and accumulated 66,000 Euros of fines for separate incidents, including holding a mobile phone as he drove from the F2 paddock to the grid.

At the time, Trident criticised the Connecticut native in a series of remarkable tweets, accusing Ferrucci and his father of subjecting Maini and his family to "unsportsmanlike and above all uncivilised" behaviour throughout the weekend. In the days following the race it also emerged that Ferrucci had been blocked from running "Make America Great Again" -- the political slogan of U.S. president Donald Tump -- on the side of his car for the race weekend.

Santino Ferrucci is no longer driving for Trident in Formula 2. Charles Coates/Getty Images

Ferrucci, who made his IndyCar debut earlier this year at a one-off appearance for Dayle Coyne Racing in Detroit, later apologised for his actions during the weekend and his clash with Maini, saying "I have no excuse other than the fact I am a 20-year-old Italian American with a deep passion for motorsport, which is a very emotional sport."

While Haas is yet to declare its official position on Ferrucci's future with the team, Trident has confirmed its own. On Wednesday it released a statement announcing a split from the American driver which revealed yet another layer to the story surrounding Ferrucci's payments -- or lack thereof -- to the team so far this year.

The statement read: "Trident Motorsport informs to have communicated to Santino Ferrucci and to its guarantor, a company represented by Mr. Michael Ferrucci, the termination of the contract with the Team. This decision was motivated by the events -- which are now of public domain -- occurred at Silverstone, as well as by the serious breach of Driver's payment obligations.

"Since the beginning of the championship, the Driver justified its payments' default with alleged failure by his sponsors to fulfil their obligations. It seems weird that, despite such kind of issues, Santino Ferrucci had the resources needed to enter the Detroit INDY race from June 1st to 3rd while, at the same time, he was not honouring his agreement with Trident Motorsport.

"Trident gave mandate to its lawyers in order to activate all the procedures needed to fully recover its credits towards the driver."

Haas told ESPN in response to the situation: "Haas F1 Team remains committed to gathering all of the facts and having in-person conversations with all the individuals involved in the situation.

"We are being diligent, but our priority is the last two races before the summer shutdown. While we want a better understanding of everything that took place, we aren't in a hurry because the German and Hungarian Grands Prix are, quite frankly, more important."</s>Trident Motorsport has parted ways with banned Haas Formula 1 junior driver Santino Ferrucci, after the Formula 2 driver crashed into his teammate and drove with a phone in his hand.

Ferrucci is banned for the next two events – Hungary and Spa – after driving into the left-rear of Arjun Maini's car on the cool-down lap after the Silverstone Sprint race.

The two had clashed in both Silverstone races.

Ferrucci was also fined €66,000 for driving without a glove on, also holding a mobile phone while transitioning between paddocks in his F2 car.

Trident has cited Ferrucci's actions, as well as payment issues, for the reason of the contract termination.

The statement read: "Trident Motorsport informs to have communicated to Santino Ferrucci and to its guarantor, a company represented by Mr. Michael Ferrucci, the termination of the contract with the Team.

"This decision was motivated by the events - which are now of public domain - occurred at Silverstone, as well as by the serious breach of driver's payment obligations.

"Since the beginning of the championship, the driver justified its payment default with alleged failure by his sponsors to fulfil their obligations.

"It seems weird that, despite such kind of issues, Santino Ferrucci had the resources needed to enter the Detroit IndyCar race from June 1-3 while, at the same time, he was not honoring his agreement with Trident Motorsport.

"Trident gave mandate to its lawyers in order to activate all the procedures needed to fully recover its credits towards the driver."</s>Trident have terminated Santino Ferrucci‘s contract with their FIA Formula 2 team, following on from the events at Silverstone.

The American was handed a two round ban following multiple incidents over the weekend at Silverstone, which included deliberately colliding into team-mate Arjun Maini on the cool down lap of the sprint race.

Ferrucci failed to turn up to the stewards briefing over the incidents with Maini and was found driving from the support paddock to the pit lane with only one glove and a phone in the other hand. As a result, Ferrucci was fined for all incidents and handed a two round ban by the series.

Trident publicly said they’ll investigate the situation with the American, which concluded with his contract terminated by the team for the incidents, as well as a breach of driver’s payment obligations. Haas F1 Team, who Ferrucci and Maini are part off as their junior drivers, are investigating the situation as well.

In a statement released by the Italian team, Trident announced that the decision was made from the events that occurred at Silverstone, as well as Ferrucci had failed to provide payments to Trident, despite being able to compete in the Detroit IndyCar race in June whilst contracted to the team.

The team are planning to take legal action against Ferrucci over the unpaid bills.

“Trident Motorsport informs to have communicated to Santino Ferrucci and to its guarantor, a company represented by Mr. Michael Ferrucci, the termination of the contract with the Team.” said Trident.

“This decision was motivated by the events – which are now of public domain – occurred at Silverstone, as well as by the serious breach of Driver’s payment obligations.

“Since the beginning of the championship, the Driver justified its payments’ default with alleged failure by his sponsors to fulfil their obligations. It seems weird that, despite such kind of issues, Santino Ferrucci had the resources needed to enter the Detroit INDY race from June 1st to 3rd while, at the same time, he was not honouring his agreement with Trident Motorsport.

“Trident gave mandate to its lawyers in order to activate all the procedures needed to fully recover its credits towards the driver.”

The Italian team will have a week until the next round in the Formula 2 championship at the Hungaroring to find a replacement to partner alongside Maini for the rest of the season.</s>As a consequence of his behavior at the Silverstone round of the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship, American driver Santino Ferrucci has found himself jettisoned from Trident Formula 2, as announced Wednesday. This punishment results from a string of rule infractions—attempted or committed—by Ferrucci during the lead-up to and at the aforementioned race weekend.

Ferrucci started the weekend on the wrong foot by attempting to run a "Make America Great Again" livery on his car, despite FIA Formula 2 banning such politically motivated themes. He continued to draw the organizers' ire by driving his car with a glove removed, phone in hand, prior to the race. This violated series' rules about wearing protective gear while in the car in addition to those prohibiting wireless devices inside the car.

During the sprint race, Ferrucci was determined to have deliberately forced his teammate Arjun Maini off the track when Maini attempted an overtake. Ferrucci later doubled down on this aggression by deliberately rear-ending Maini after the checkered flag had been waved, and antagonizing Maini via social media, expressing that he considered it payback for unspecified mid-race transgressions. Ferrucci and his father are also accused of harassing Maini post-race.

The race stewards demanded to see Ferrucci for his rule breakage, but Ferrucci shirked them and dodged his hearing. Series organizers in time determined Ferrucci's punishment: €66,000 ($76,800 USD) in fines, disqualification from the sprint race, and a two-weekend ban. Trident's own dismissal of Ferrucci completes his career self-sabotage. It is speculated that an elimination from his role as test driver at Haas Formula 1 Team may soon follow for Ferrucci.

The Drive reached out to both Trident Motorsports and Haas Formula 1 Team for further comment on the situation. The former declined to comment, but stated it would announce its replacement driver this upcoming Monday or Tuesday.

"Haas F1 Team remains committed to gathering all of the facts and having in-person conversations with all the individuals involved in the situation," stated Guenther Steiner, Haas team principal. "We are being diligent, but our priority is the last two races before the summer shutdown. While we want a better understanding of everything that took place, we aren't in a hurry because the German and Hungarian Grands Prix are, quite frankly, more important."</s>Ride onboard with Nico Rosberg as he took pole position at the German Grand Prix in 2016. (1:37)

Haas' American development driver, Santino Ferrucci, has been sacked by his Formula 2 team after deliberately crashing into his teammate on the cool down lap of a race earlier this month.

Ferrucci was handed a four-race ban after intentionally hitting the rear of fellow Haas junior Arjun Maini's car after the F2 sprint race which preceded the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 8. He was later disqualified from that race result and accumulated 66,000 Euros of fines for separate incidents, including holding a mobile phone as he drove from the F2 paddock to the grid.

At the time, Trident criticised the Connecticut native in a series of remarkable tweets, accusing Ferrucci and his father of subjecting Maini and his family to "unsportsmanlike and above all uncivilised" behaviour throughout the weekend. In the days following the race it also emerged that Ferrucci had been blocked from running "Make America Great Again" -- the political slogan of U.S. president Donald Tump -- on the side of his car for the race weekend.

Ferrucci, who made his IndyCar debut earlier this year at a one-off appearance for Dayle Coyne Racing in Detroit, later apologised for his actions during the weekend and his clash with Maini, saying "I have no excuse other than the fact I am a 20-year-old Italian American with a deep passion for motorsport, which is a very emotional sport."

While Haas is yet to declare its official position on Ferrucci's future with the team, Trident has confirmed its own. On Wednesday it released a statement announcing a split from the American driver which revealed yet another layer to the story surrounding Ferrucci's payments -- or lack thereof -- to the team so far this year.

The statement read: "Trident Motorsport informs to have communicated to Santino Ferrucci and to its guarantor, a company represented by Mr. Michael Ferrucci, the termination of the contract with the Team. This decision was motivated by the events -- which are now of public domain -- occurred at Silverstone, as well as by the serious breach of Driver's payment obligations.

"Since the beginning of the championship, the Driver justified its payments' default with alleged failure by his sponsors to fulfil their obligations. It seems weird that, despite such kind of issues, Santino Ferrucci had the resources needed to enter the Detroit INDY race from June 1st to 3rd while, at the same time, he was not honouring his agreement with Trident Motorsport.

"Trident gave mandate to its lawyers in order to activate all the procedures needed to fully recover its credits towards the driver."

Haas had no comment to give on Trident's decision when contacted by ESPN.</s>Trident have terminated the contract of Haas junior driver Santino Ferrucci after he received a four-race ban for crashing into his team-mate Arjun Maini after the F2 Sprint Race at Silverstone.

Ferrucci also received a fine from the stewards at Silverstone for driving from the support pits to the race pits with a glove off while using a mobile phone. He declined to attend stewards hearings.

The 20-year-old also responded to a Sky F1 tweet of the incident, stating that his team-mate cries on the radio.

In addition to the Silverstone incidents, Trident say that the American driver has defaulted on payment for his seat and questioned how he was able to fund an IndyCar drive in Detroit during that time.

'Trident Motorsport informs to have communicated to Santino Ferrucci and to its guarantor, a company represented by Mr. Michael Ferrucci, the termination of the contract with the Team,' read the team's statement.

'This decision was motivated by the events - which are now of public domain - occurred at Silverstone, as well as by the serious breach of Driver's payment obligations.

'Since the beginning of the championship, the Driver justified its payments' default with alleged failure by his sponsors to fulfil their obligations. It seems weird that, despite such kind of issues, Santino Ferrucci had the resources needed to enter the Detroit INDY race from June 1st to 3rd while, at the same time, he was not honouring his agreement with Trident Motorsport.

'Trident gave mandate to its lawyers in order to activate all the procedures needed to fully recover its credits towards the driver.'</s>Haas F1: American driver Ferrucci terminated from F2 for uncivilized behavior and payment defaults

Formula 2 team Trident has announced that they have terminated the contract of their American racing driver Santino Ferrucci who also is Haas F1 Team’s development driver.

Ferrucci was involved in several incidents at Silverstone F2 weekend, with the biggest drama being a deliberate collision between himself and his Trident teammate Arjun Maini after the Sprint Race. Ferrucci had already been awarded a time penalty in the Main Race for pushing Maini off the track. Upon initial investigation of the collision, Ferrucci declined the steward’s request to attend their hearing post the race.

Video of Ferrucci hitting Maini at the British Grand Prix

The American driver was found to have driven his F2 car between the paddock and the pitlane while using a mobile phone and wearing just one glove. For all these transgressions, he was fined $66000 dollars and a four-race ban from the F2 championship.

These incidents led to the team announcing that they would evaluate their legal options regarding Ferrucci's contract, also standing by Maini “for the unsportsmanlike and above all uncivilized behavior that he was forced to endure not only during this last weekend by Santino Ferrucci and father, who accompanied him.”

Trident released a statement on the Wednesday prior to the German Grand Prix, announcing that they have dropped Ferrucci with immediate effect:

“Trident Motorsport informs to have communicated to Santino Ferrucci and to its guarantor, a company represented by Mr. Michael Ferrucci, the termination of the contract with the Team.

This decision was motivated by the events – which are now of public domain – occurred at Silverstone, as well as by the serious breach of Driver’s payment obligations.

Since the beginning of the championship, the Driver justified its payments’ default with alleged failure by his sponsors to fulfil their obligations. It seems weird that, despite such kind of issues, Santino Ferrucci had the resources needed to enter the Detroit INDY race from June 1st to 3rd while, at the same time, he was not honouring his agreement with Trident Motorsport.

Trident gave mandate to its lawyers in order to activate all the procedures needed to fully recover its credits towards the driver.”

This means that if Ferrucci has served his ban from the championship, he does not have a team to return to.

Will Haas retain for the American as a Development Driver? What effects will this have on Ferrucci's F1 aspirations? Have your say in the comments below</s>The Haas Formula 1 team wants "all the facts” before deciding on whether to keep Santino Ferrucci as one of its junior drivers, while he’s serving a four-race ban.

Formula 2 driver Ferrucci is banned for the Hungary and Spa rounds of the championship after crashing into Trident teammate Arjun Maini on the cool-down lap of the Silverstone sprint race.

He was also fined for driving his F2 car without a glove, and for holding a mobile phone while driving between paddocks during the Silverstone weekend.

The American driver subsequently apologised, but he was later dropped by Trident and also by his management agency.

Ferrucci's link with Haas remains, and a statement from the team, of which Maini is also a junior, stipulated that planning for its German and Hungarian Grand Prix weekends was “more important” than making a decision about the events of Silverstone.

“Haas F1 Team remains committed to gathering all of the facts and having in-person conversations with all the individuals involved in the situation,” read the statement.

“We are being diligent, but our priority is the last two races before the summer shutdown.

“While we want a better understanding of everything that took place, we aren’t in a hurry because the German and Hungarian Grands Prix are, quite frankly, more important.”

Speaking after the incident in Silverstone, Haas F1 team principal Gunther Steiner had said that he would be investigating what had happened.

“I'm aware of the incident, I've seen it once on TV when they showed the race," he said.

"I didn't really realise, I didn't hear the audio, but I was made aware that there are some problems.

"I said I'm not going deal with them today, because we have a race to go to.

"I'm going deal with them in the week so I will get more information.

"I'm aware something happened but at the moment I don't have enough information to comment on it."

Motorsport.com understands that Trident are considering two different replacements for Ferrucci in Formula 2, with a quick decision needed before the Hungary event begins on July 27.</s>Haas F1 Team want to gather ‘all of the facts’ before deciding on what to do with their junior driver Santino Ferrucci.

The American has been handed a two round ban in the FIA Formula 2 championship for causing an deliberate incident on the cool down lap of the sprint race at Silverstone with then Trident team-mate and fellow Haas junior driver, Arjun Maini. He was also fined for not turning up the stewards briefing relating to the incident and was found to have driven to the race pitlane with only one glove and a mobile phone.

Trident have since then terminated Ferrucci’s contract with team and plan to take legal action against the American and his father for unpaid bills to the team, whilst still able to have the funds to race at Detroit in IndyCar.

Ferrucci is still linked with the Haas team, who released a statement saying they want to gather all the information relating to the incident but states that the German and Hungarian Grands Prix are more important than the incident that occurred in Silverstone.

“Haas F1 Team remains committed to gathering all of the facts and having in-person conversations with all the individuals involved in the situation,” the statement said.

“We are being diligent, but our priority is the last two races before the summer shutdown.

“While we want a better understanding of everything that took place, we aren’t in a hurry because the German and Hungarian Grands Prix are, quite frankly, more important.”

Haas F1 Team principal Guenther Steiner spoke to Motorsport.com after the incident at Silverstone, saying that he will deal with the situation when more information has been gathered.

“I’m aware of the incident, I’ve seen it once on TV when they showed the race.” said Steiner.

“I didn’t really realise, I didn’t hear the audio, but I was made aware that there are some problems. I said I’m not going deal with them today, because we have a race to go to.

“I’m going deal with them in the week so I will get more information. I’m aware something happened but at the moment I don’t have enough information to comment on it.”

Trident have a week to find a replacement driver for the next round of the FIA Formula 2 championship at the Hungaroroing.</s>Trident have informed Santino Ferrucci that his contract with the team has been terminated ahead of Round 8 of the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship.

Having come to the decision following the events involving Ferrucci at Silverstone earlier this month, which became public thereafter, the team will announce the Americanâs replacement for the remainder of the season in due course.

The next round of the 2018 season will take place at the Hungaroring on July 27-28-29.
Formula 2 driver Santino Ferrucci is sacked by Trident Racing for deliberately crashing into Arjun Maini at a race in Silverstone earlier this month and for his sponsor's non-payment. He was previously fined for a number of other incidents, including holding a mobile phone as he drove from a paddock.