F2 driver Caldwell gets one-round ban for Spa

The Briton was just one penalty point away from a round ban ahead of the Hungaroring round, and reached 12 after Sunday's feature race, where he left the track "without a justifiable reason on several occasions", according to the FIA stewards.

Caldwell exceeded track limits three times during the race: on laps 21, 22 and 25.

The 12th penalty point triggers an automatic ban, and Caldwell will be absent from the next round at the Spa circuit in Belgium next month.

The Campos driver had accumulated the first seven penalty points in the opening round of the season in Bahrain, where he was given two points for lining out of position ahead of the start, and then another five for track limits infringements.

Another point was handed to him for impeding rival Juri Vips in Saudi Arabia, and another two at Imola for unsafe driving in the pitlane, and again for impeding a rival in qualifying.

In Austria he was again hit with a track limits penalty, leaving him with 11 points ahead of this weekend's race.

Caldwell sits 19th in the championship standings with eight points, scored at the Red Bull Ring's feature race.

The Briton is the second F2 driver to receive a race ban this year after Van Amersfoort Racing's Amaury Cordeel was suspended for the Silverstone round after also accumulating 12 penalty points.

Cordeel was thus replaced by David Beckmann for Silverstone, the German since having covered for Jake Hughes at Van Amersfoort Racing.

DAMS' Roy Nissany currently sits on 11 penalty points, and thus is just one away from receiving a round ban.