Franck Perera has been excluded from the GP2 Series feature race at the Hungaroring before the event even gets underway, having been branded as the scapegoat for a qualifying session incident.

Perera and fellow Frenchman Romain Grosjean collided early in the half-hour session, resulting in both cars spinning off track to bring an end to their participation and leave both at the back of the grid. While championship challenger Grosjean will roll off from 25th place, however, the stewards adjudged that DPR returnee Perera impeded his countryman and, as his qualifying time exceeded 107 per cent of that set by poleman Lucas di Grassi, decided that he should not participate in the first race.

Grosjean, whose best time also exceeded the 107 per cent time, has been given permission to take the start in the belief that he would have improved as the session went on. Perera, whose general pace is not in question given his experience of GP2 and open-wheel racing in the USA, will restart his weekend with Sunday morning's sprint race, where he will start from last on the grid.