F3 Euro Series: Charles Leclerc opens his winning account at Silverstone.

Charles Leclerc (Van Amersfoort Racing) is the winner of the third FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship season race. Thus, the 17-year-old Monegasque became the second rookie driver to win a race at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit this weekend, with George Russell (Carlin) having won the second race the day before. Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) came second to score his third podium finish from as many races over the weekend and starts his homeward journey to Italy as points’ leader in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship drivers’ standings. The best-placed driver on home soil in the only British round of this year’s FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship, Jake Dennis (Prema Powerteam) finished third.

At the start, Charles Leclerc converted his first place on the grid into the race lead and led the field into the first corner. Antonio Giovinazzi and Gustavo Menezes (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) followed behind him. An error by Lance Stroll (Prema Powerteam) saw the safety car deployed for the first time. After the restart, the order at the front of the field remained unchanged. Initially, Leclerc was about one second clear of his rivals, while Menezes had to let the duo in front pull away. Even though Giovinazzi managed to reduce the gap a little bit later on, he wasn’t able to challenge Leclerc. Eventually, the Van Amersfoort Racing rookie driver won with a margin of 0.44 seconds.

For a long time, Menezes drove an untroubled race in third place in front of Jake Dennis, Alexander Albon (Signature) and George Russell. After the second safety car intervention, the result of a spin by Pietro Fittipaldi (Fortec Motorsports), Dennis got a chance to attack the American with Brazilian roots and went past to take third place. George Russell, Alexander Albon, Markus Pommer (Motopark), Brandon Maïsano (Prema Powerteam), Callum Ilott (Carlin) and Mikkel Jensen (Mücke Motorsport) completed the top ten.

Charles Leclerc (Van Amersfoort Racing): “My start wasn’t the best, but at least I was able to keep my position. After that, I managed to open a slight gap until I got a warning for high oil temperature in my cockpit and for a while, I didn’t know what to do. Antonio closed up, but he couldn’t overtake me. Of course, I didn’t really expect to win a race on my first weekend of racing straight away, but things were already going quite well in pre-season testing”.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “I am really happy with my score of three podium finishes this weekend. During the race, I tried to put Charles under pressure to force him into a mistake, but he drove really well and didn’t give me any opportunity to overtake”.

Jake Dennis (Prema Powerteam): “I was in fourth place for a long time, but then Gustavo Menezes suddenly slowed down in front of me. I had to do my utmost to avoid him, but managed. I am really happy with two podium finishes from the first race weekend of the season. For me, this was a considerably better start of the season than last year”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Rookie driver George Russell claims maiden Fórmula 3 race win.

Having only just missed out on a podium finish by finishing fourth in the first FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship race of the season, George Russell (Carlin) made it onto the top step of the podium a few hours later. At the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, he overtook pole setter Charles Leclerc (Van Amersfoort Racing) at the start and went on to score his maiden FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship race win. In second and third place respectively, Leclerc and Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) completed the podium. Rookie driver Lance Stroll (Prema Powerteam) finished fourth. After his second podium finish in as many races, Giovinazzi is the new FIA Fórmula 3 European Drivers’ Championship leader.

On the first few metres, Charles Leclerc, who had started from pole position, already had to surrender his leading position to George Russell after a successful attack by the Brit. A few metres later, Tatiana Calderón (Carlin), Michele Beretta (Mücke Motorsport) Sérgio Sette Câmara (Motopark) and Sam MacLeod (Motopark) retired after a collision that caused the only safety car intervention of the race. Racing resumed on the start of lap four and Russell was able to hold on to his lead from Leclerc and Giovinazzi.

On lap eight, Felix Rosenqvist (Prema Powerteam), who was relegated to 35th place on the grid as a penalty, showed up in the top ten for the first time. The Swede, the winner of the first race of the weekend on Saturday morning, found himself in the middle of a group of drivers, led by Fabian Schiller (Team West-Tec F3) and Pietro Fittipaldi (Fortec Motorsports), battling for seventh place. Three laps later, Rosenqvist had left the entire group behind him. Almost at the same time, Fittipaldi came out on top in the battle against Schiller. In the closing stages of the race, the German collided with Jake Dennis (Prema Powerteam) and dropped back to eleventh behind Santino Ferrucci (Mücke Motorsport) and Mikkel Jensen (Mücke Motorsport).

Meanwhile, out in front, George Russell scored his maiden FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship victory. The British rookie crossed the finish line 1.723 seconds ahead of rookie Charles Leclerc and 5.412 seconds clear of Italian Antonio Giovinazzi. Lance Stroll, Brandon Maïsano (Prema Powerteam) and Alexander Albon (Signature) followed behind the top three.

George Russell (Carlin): “Even though pre-season testing went pretty well for me, I didn’t expect this victory. My start into the race was good and I was able to take first place. The restart after the safety car went well, too. After that, I tried to manage my tyres throughout the race, in which I succeeded”.

Charles Leclerc (Van Amersfoort Racing): “Unfortunately, my start wasn’t good, but then, initially, I was able to keep up with George. Later on, my tyres degraded and I had to let him pull away. For me, on the last couple of laps, it was only about bringing second place home”.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “I had a really good start into this race, but I made slight contact with George’s car. After that, I was having minor problems in fast corners, but generally, my speed was good. Two podium finishes in the first two races are a decent result”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Felix Rosenqvist claims first pole position of the year.

Swede Felix Rosenqvist (Prema Powerteam, 1:51s007) claimed the first pole position of the new FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship season. At the 5.901 kilometres long Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, the 23-year-old stalwart ended up ahead of Italian Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, 1:51s274), who was second. Jake Dennis (Prema Powerteam, 1:51s332) was the best-placed British driver in third place in front of his compatriot George Russell (Carlin, 1:51s652), who emerged as the fastest rookie driver in first qualifying.

Felix Rosenqvist moved up to the top of the time sheets with eight minutes remaining, claiming first place from Charles Leclerc (Van Amersfoort Racing, 1:51s685) who was leading the Qualifying until then. In Rosenqvist’s slipstream, the Swede’s team-mate Jake Dennis also came to the fore and was second for a while. Later on, the Brit lost that position again two Antonio Giovinazzi. After that, the order in front remained unchanged until the end of the session. Thus, Rosenqvist claimed his first pole position in the 2015 FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship.

Behind the two best-placed rookie drivers George Russell and Charles Leclerc, Brandon Maïsano (Prema Powerteam, 1:51s768) was classified sixth. The Frenchman, who is contesting his maiden FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship season, had topped the time sheets in free practice on Friday morning. Lotus Fórmula 1 junior driver Alexander Albon (Signature, 1:51s792) from Thailand, Canadian Lance Stroll (Prema Powerteam, 1:52s066) and German Markus Pommer (Motopark, 1:52s113) ended up in seventh to ninth place respectively. Thus, Pommer scored the first top ten result in the first-ever FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship qualifying session for his team Motopark. Brit Callum Ilott (Carlin, 1:52s113), a member of the Red Bull junior team, was classified tenth behind Pommer.

Felix Rosenqvist (Prema Powerteam): “For our team, things were already going quite well in free practice, because all the Prema Powerteam drivers were within the top six. Our performance was already pretty good. In qualifying, the main thing was to find a lap without too much traffic and then push it to the limit on this lap, in which I succeeded. Surprisingly, my first lap was also the fastest. Starting off the season with a pole position is always nice”.

F3 Euro Series: A lights-to-flag victory and second place in the points for Tom Blomqvist.

With his sixth race win of the season in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship, Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) moved up to second place in the drivers’ standings. At the 4.574 kilometres long Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg, he won from Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) and Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport). Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam), who already secured the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship title at Imola, finished fourth in the penultimate race of the season ahead of Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing).

Tom Blomqvist used his pole position and moved up into the lead from Lucas Auer and Antonio Giovinazzi. Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam) was turned around by Sean Gelael (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) while driving through the hairpin for the first time and dropped back to the end of the field. His opponent Gelael had to turn into the pits, but then also continued. On lap two, Max Verstappen was overtaken by Tatiana Calderón (Jo Zeller Racing), the only lady racer in the field, in the battle for seventh. The Dutchman countered soon after that and overtook both Calderón and Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport) to claim sixth place.

A few minutes later, Michele Beretta (Eurointernational) lost the rear wing of his car. In order for parts of this wing to be removed from the track, the clerk of the course sent the safety car out. At the restart, Tom Blomqvist remained in the lead while Lucas Auer and Antonio Giovinazzi also held on to their respective positions. The order in the following positions changed on lap 16 as Giovinazzi overtook Lucas Auer and claimed back second place. While Blomqvist managed to pull clear more and more out in front and Giovinazzi also built up a slight advantage over Auer towards the end of the race, the Austrian had to work to keep Esteban Ocon at bay until the finish.

The race was red-flagged just before the planned end following a collision between Antonio Fuoco and Jake Dennis (Carlin). Tom Blomqvist won from Antonio Giovinazzi, Lucas Auer, Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen. With Felix Rosenqvist and Roy Nissany (Mücke Motorsport), two drivers of the Mücke Motorsport team finished in sixth and seventh place ahead of Tatiana Calderón, Gustavo Menezes (Van Amersfoort Racing) and Dennis van de Laar (Prema Powerteam).

Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “Track conditions changed massively from the first to the second race, which was perhaps due to the rubber from the tyres of the DTM cars. Generally, this race wasn’t an easy one, but went well nevertheless. After the start, I managed to pull a gap and I controlled the race. For me, it was mainly about not making any mistakes”.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “I had a good start, but Lucas had an even better start. Thus, I lost second place going into the first corner, but I was able to claim it back during the race. I am very happy with my second place and victory for my team-mate Tom Blomqvist”.

Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport): “My start was mega. Unfortunately, my car got stuck in third gear once again during the race, so that it was relatively easy for Antonio to overtake me. We already had that problem in the first race and now have to do everything to solve it”.

F3 Euro Series: Blomqvist wins from Verstappen - battle for title remains open.

Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) claimed victory in the 29th season race of the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship. He dominated the race at the 4.909 kilometres long Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola and scored a lights-to-flag victory. In bright sunshine, the three years younger Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing) crossed the finish line in second place, having overtaken Italian Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) on the final metres. Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam) finished fourth and is now 84 points ahead of Blomqvist in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship drivers’ standings with four races remaining. Verstappen, who already signed a contract to race in Fórmula 1 with the Toro Rosso team for 2015, is 96 points down on Lotus Fórmula 1 junior driver Ocon.

At the start, Tom Blomqvist made the best use of his pole position and took the lead. Antonio Giovinazzi overtook Esteban Ocon for second in the first corner already. On lap three, Antonio Fuoco also managed to find a way past Ocon and thus blew the young championship leader’s hopes of a possible podium finish. At that time, Max Verstappen had already worked his way up to sixth position after having had to start from eleventh place in accordance with the regulations following an engine change. His progress was briefly interrupted on lap seven as a spin by Alexander Toril (ThreeBond with T-Sport) prompted the race director to send the safety car out.

After the restart, Blomqvist remained in front from Giovinazzi and Fuoco. Soon after the field was released again, Verstappen overtook Nicholas Latifi (Prema Powerteam) and then was right behind Esteban Ocon. Two laps later, the Dutchman also overtook the Frenchman. As Fuoco had to pit from third place due to a technical issue, Verstappen even moved up into the top three. However, third place was not enough for the Dutchman: he was so quick that he managed to close up to second-placed Giovinazzi just before the finish. Coming onto the main straight on the final lap, he managed to work his way past the Italian to finish second. Unfazed by the action behind him, Tom Blomqvist drove victory home.

Behind the three drivers on the podium, Esteban Ocon took the flag in fourth place. After 20 laps, Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport) finished fifth from Nicholas Latifi, Jake Dennis (Carlin), Felix Serralles (Team West-Tec F3), Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport) and Gustavo Menezes (Van Amersfoort Racing).

Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “I am very happy with this victory. I reckon that I showed a pretty strong race. My start was good and I succeeded in pulling a gap straight away. After the safety car intervention, I made a good restart and I managed to pull a gap once again. However, my car was also running perfectly throughout the race”.

Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing): “After having made a stupid mistake in yesterday’s race because of not being patient enough, I was determined to do better today and I think I managed to do so. The speed of my car was great and I am very happy to have made it all the way from eleventh on the grid to second at the flag”.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “All in all, it was a good race for me. After the start, I managed to overtake Esteban Ocon and I was up in second place. I never was close enough behind Tom to mount an attack. Unfortunately, Max Verstappen still caught me on the final metres, but I am also happy with third place in my home race”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Will rookie Esteban Ocon secure the title as early as at Imola?

For the first time in its history, the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship is going to hold a race weekend at Imola’s 4.909-kilometre Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. For 18-year old Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam), the race meeting at the Italian racetrack represents the first chance of securing the title. The only drivers that still have the chance of stealing the French Lotus driver’s lead are Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing) - who already has been signed as GP driver for the 2015 season - Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) and Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport).

Ocon’s lead over Verstappen amounts to 77 points, Great Britain’s Tom Blomqvist follows another 10 points behind - and Lucas Auer’s gap to Ocon adds up to 119 points. With a maximum of 75 points to be awarded on an FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship race weekend, this means that Ocon could follow the footsteps of last year’s champion Raffaele Marciello as early as on the penultimate race weekend of the 2014 season

In addition, the grid of the Imola meeting will feature four new faces: Nick Cassidy (ThreeBond with T-Sport) already gathered his first Fórmula 3 European Championship experiences in 2013 and is making his comeback, now. Virtually the same applies to William Buller (Signature) who also already has got some FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship experience under his belt. He will race a Dallara-Volkswagen for Team Signature who are contesting their first race weekend of the season, at Imola. Meanwhile, China’s Hongwei Cao (Fortec Motorsports) who secured the British F3 title, four weeks ago, and Brazilian Sérgio Sette Câmara (Eurointernational) are making their FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship debuts, this weekend.

Câmara’s team-mate is Michele Beretta (Eurointernational), one of the three Italian’s on the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship grid. Apart from him, Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) and Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam) also will represent the Italian colours, at Imola. The currently best-placed driver of the three Italians is rookie Fuoco. With six more races to go, the Ferrari Driver Academy protégé holds fifth position in the championship, right ahead of Antonio Giovinazzi who celebrated his first FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship win at the Red Bull Ring.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “I’m living a five-hour ride from Imola but it’s my home race, nevertheless. I’m looking forward to all the friends and relatives that will come to see me, this weekend, and I want to provide them a good performance. On Tuesday and Wednesday, during the official mid-season tests, I completed my first Imola laps and I really like the circuit: it is demanding and you quickly can make a mistake but this also allows you to learn a lot and demonstrate your skills. I think it’s one of the most demanding venues on the entire FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship calendar”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Antonio Giovinazzi wins from Tom Blomqvist.

At the 3.629 kilometres long Nürburgring, Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin), celebrated his second FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship of the season. The Italian benefited from the retirement of long-time leader Max Verstappen, (Van Amersfoort Racing), who stopped due to a technical problem with five laps remaining. Brit Tom Blomqvist, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) and Frenchman Esteban Ocon, (Prema Powerteam), claimed the remaining slots on the winners’ podium. In the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship standings, Lotus Fórmula 1 junior driver Esteban Ocon has extended his lead from second-placed Verstappen again. Ocon now has 92 points more than Verstappen, who was included into the Red Bull Junior Team early last week.

At the start, Max Verstappen took the lead from second place on the grid while Tom Blomqvist, who started from pole position, dropped back to third behind Verstappen and Antonio Giovinazzi. Later on, Blomqvist had to battle for third with a charging Esteban Ocon. At the same time, Antonio Giovinazzi put Max Verstappen under pressure in the duel for the lead. Initially, both Verstappen and Blomqvist were able to defend their respective positions. On lap 20, however, the 16-year-old Dutchman suddenly slowed down and stopped and the four years older Antonio Giovinazzi inherited the lead. Eventually, the Italian scored his second victory of the season from team-mate Tom Blomqvist and Esteban Ocon.

Antonio Fuoco, (Prema Powerteam), took the chequered flag in fourth place, followed by Lucas Auer, (Mücke Motorsport), Jordan King, (Carlin), Felix Rosenqvist, (Mücke Motorsport) and Edward Jones, (Carlin). Tatiana Calderón, (Jo Zeller Racing), was classified ninth. Thus, the only lady racer in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship field scored points for the fifth time this season already. Nicholas Latifi, (Prema Powerteam) concluded the 26th race of the season in tenth place.

Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “My start was really good, I was able to overtake Tom straight away and then I was behind Max. When Max suddenly stopped, I could take the lead. I feel sorry for Max, but that is racing. On the other hand, I don’t think I would have been able to overtake him had it not been for his problem”.

Tom Blomqvist, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “On one hand, I am happy with second place, because it brings many points. On the other hand, it is also disappointing, because I started from pole position and, of course, I wanted to win. The problem was my start, which wasn’t good”.

Esteban Ocon, (Prema Powerteam): “I was fourth for a long time, but I kept Tom under pressure throughout the race. When Max retired, I was able to take third place. Before this race, we managed to improve my car once again, but it’s still not perfect. Therefore, I reckon I can be happy with my result”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Eighth win of the season for rookie Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen, (Van Amersfoort Racing), had a perfect start as a Red Bull Junior Team member: at the Nürburgring, the 16-year-old won his first outing in the colours of the Austrian Fórmula 1 World Championship-winning team. At the 3.629 kilometres long sprint circuit, he won the entertaining 25th FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship season round from Antonio Fuoco, (Prema Powerteam) and Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin). At a drying track, the Dutch rookie driver scored his eighth win of the season and was thus able to reduce the gap to the championship leader. Frenchman Esteban Ocon, (Prema Powerteam), who finished sixth in the Nürburgring race, remains on top in the drivers’ standings.

The race started at a still wet, but already drying track. Nevertheless, three drivers took the risk of starting with rain tyres: Richard Goddard, (ThreeBond with T-Sport), series’ novice Wing Chung Chang, (Team West-Tec F3) and Michele Beretta, (Eurointernational). Especially Goddard, who had started from 20th place, benefited from his initial tyre advantage and took the lead on lap seven. On lap 13, he lost it again because his rain tyres degraded and in spite of a spirited drive, he was left without a chance against the faster Max Verstappen. In the remainder of the race, the Australian dropped back more and more and eventually crossed the finish line in 19th place.

Out in front, Verstappen only managed to pull clear from his main rival Antonio Fuoco, while the latter had his compatriot Antonio Giovinazzi in his rear-view mirrors until the end of the race. Jordan King, (Carlin), took the chequered flag in fourth place from Tom Blomqvist, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) and Esteban Ocon, who battled for a long time. Lucas Auer, (Mücke Motorsport), Felix Rosenqvist, (Mücke Motorsport), Santino Ferrucci, (Eurointernational) and Edward Jones, (Carlin) rounded out the top ten in a race that had plenty of excitement.

Max Verstappen, (Van Amersfoort Racing): “We knew that the track here dries out quickly, so therefore we opted for slick tyres. I reckon that this was the right choice, even though the first few laps with slicks weren’t easy. When Richard Goddard overtook me, I was well aware that his rain tyres wouldn’t last that long anymore, because at that time, he was already trying to cool his tyres all the time. Therefore, I didn’t defend my position too heavily against his attacks and I just tried not to let him pull away too much”.

Antonio Fuoco, (Prema Powerteam): “I had a good start and I even managed to take the lead in the second corner. Being in front at the slippery track, however, wasn’t easy. When I ran too wide in a corner, Max was able to overtake me again. But I am also very happy with second place”.

Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “My start was really good, too, I already managed to move up to third on the opening lap. In the final stages, I was even able to close up to Antonio Fuoco, but I wasn’t close enough to mount an attack. However, I am very happy with third place, especially having started from seventh on the grid”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Antonio Giovinazzi celebrates race win.

At the 4.326 kilometres long Red Bull Ring, 20-year-old Italian Antonio Giovinazzi celebrated his maiden FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship race win. His team-mate Tom Blomqvist took the chequered flag in third place from Lucas Auer, the only Austrian in the field. Esteban Ocon remains in the lead of the drivers’ standings. The French Lotus Fórmula 1 junior driver finished 13th in the race following a drive-through penalty for driving too fast under yellow flags and thus failed to score any points.

At the start, Antonio Giovinazzi benefited from his pole position and took the lead. Tom Blomqvist followed in second place. Soon after that, Felix Rosenqvist spun into the gravel trap and retired. On lap three, a collision involving Alexander Toril and Jules Szymkowiak brought the safety car out. The accident meant the end of the race for Spanish driver Toril.

After the restart, Antonio Giovinazzi remained in front. In the laps until the end, the Italian pulled clear from Tom Blomqvist more and more and eventually drove an undisputed victory home. Tom Blomqvist and Lucas Auer also had a rather uneventful race while numerous position fights in the midfield entertained the spectators. Max Verstappen battled with Antonio Fuoco for fourth place. The two tangled in the process, for which Fuoco paid the price with a damaged front wing of his car. The Italian, a protégé of the Ferrari driver Academy, had to turn into the pits while Verstappen was given a drive-through penalty for his move. The Dutchman eventually was classified twelfth, Fuoco concluded the race in 19th place.

Nicholas Latifi inherited third place from Jake Dennis, Edward Jones, Jordan King, Gustavo Menezes, Tatiana Calderón and Sean Gelael.

Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “I am very happy with this victory and the fact that my team-mate Ton Blomqvist came second. It is a great performance by our team Jagonya Ayam with Carlin. My start was good and I managed to keep Tom Blomqvist at bay. During the safety car phase, I really paid attention to ensure that the gap to the safety car wouldn’t get too big, because that was my big mistake in the second race of this weekend. This time, I managed and I am really happy with my maiden race win in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship”.

Tom Blomqvist, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “Our team Jagonya Ayam with Carlin has done a tremendous job, we secured first and second place. Antonio showed a perfect performance, he has deserved this win. For me, things went really well with my second place, too and I am happy”.

Lucas Auer, (Mücke Motorsport): “I had a good start and managed to overtake Antonio Fuoco straight away. After that, I had some problems, but because the guys behind me were fighting, I was able to hold on to third place. Generally, I am very happy with the progress we have made from Friday to today. My team Mücke Motorsport really has done a very good job”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: British driver Tom Blomqvist claims fourth season win.

Tom Blomqvist, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin), is the winner of the 22nd season round of the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship. At the 4.326 kilometres long Red Bull Ring, the Brit benefited from a collision involving the drivers who are currently first and second in the drivers’ standings, Esteban Ocon, (Prema Powerteam) and Max Verstappen, (Van Amersfoort Racing), and took the lead after the first corner. Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin), finished second from Max Verstappen, (Van Amersfoort Racing), who came third. Ocon, who dropped back to last following the accident, still managed to make his way up to 13th place. The French Lotus Fórmula 1 junior remains in the lead of the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship drivers’ standings with a margin of 101 points.

The race started with a collision involving Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen, the two drivers who are first and second in the drivers’ standings. They tangled in the battle for the lead. Ocon had to rejoin the field at the back while Verstappen returned from the opening lap in sixth place. Tom Blomqvist inherited the lead from Antonio Giovinazzi and Felix Rosenqvist.

In the following laps, Blomqvist and Giovinazzi, both racing for the Jagonya Ayam with Carlin team, pulled clear more and more from their first rival Rosenqvist, who, in turn, had Jake Dennis, (Carlin), closely behind him. Max Verstappen closed up on the duo more and more, too. On lap twelve, Dennis mounted an attack on Rosenqvist; the Swede briefly came off the track and Verstappen went past the two and moved up into third place. While the 16-year-old Dutchman then immediately pulled clear from Rosenqvist and Dennis, Antonio Fuoco, (Prema Powerteam), Gustavo Menezes, (Van Amersfoort Racing) and Jordan King, (Carlin) closed up to Rosenqvist and Dennis. On lap 17, Dennis overtook Rosenqvist for fourth.

Behind stalwart Rosenqvist, who was now fifth, there was a great battle during the last few laps. Eventually, the finish order in sixth to ninth place Fuoco, Menezes, Van de Laar, (Prema Powerteam) and King. Lucas Auer, (Mücke Motorsport), the only Austrian in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship field, finished tenth.

Out in front, Tom Blomqvist scored his fourth season win in the FIA Fórmula 3 European Championship. With this result, he moved up to third in the drivers’ standings, toppling Lucas Auer. Blomqvist’s team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi finished second, scoring his second podium finish of the season. Max Verstappen joined them on the podium in third as the best-placed rookie. After 24 laps, Jake Dennis was classified fourth as the second-best rookie.

Tom Blomqvist, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “I am happy and also slightly relieved because it has been a long time since I last was on the top step of the podium. As Esteban and Max collided in the first corner, I was able to move up into the lead. After a slight mistake, I had to be careful to keep Antonio at bay, but it all worked out fine”.

Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin): “On the last couple of weekends, we had some issues with the engine and the chassis, but now, things seem to be running fine again. Following the collision between Esteban and Max, I was second and I tried to attack Tom for first place. After ten laps or so, I still had a chance, but this attack on Tom was unsuccessful as well. Still, I am very happy with my second place”.

Max Verstappen, (Van Amersfoort Racing): “My start was good and I was alongside Esteban in the first corner. There, he didn’t leave me enough room and I couldn’t avoid the collision. The left front suspension of my car was damaged in the accident and I am happy that I have made it to the finish at all. Because of the damage, my tyres were completely worn out at the end of the race”.

Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series

F3 Euro Series: Esbeban Ocon vence em Hockenheim.

Esteban Ocon, (Prema Powerteam), venceu a quinta etapa da temporada do campeonato FIA de Fórmula 3 Euro Series, a segunda prova em Hockenheim foi realizada na manhã deste domingo. Ocon fez uma bela largada e superou Antonio Giovinazzi, imprimiu ritmo forte o tempo todo e após 22 voltas cruzou a linha de chegada com o rival italiano em sua cola, com os resultados de hoje, o piloto francês ampliou sua vantagem na liderança do campeonato, agora são 18 pontos à frente de Tom Blomqvist.

Giovinazzi e Edward Jones terminaram em segundo e terceiro lugar respectivamente. A corrida ainda não tinha começado quando o pole Max Verstappen que estava levando seu carro para o grid parou com problemas no câmbio, o holandês ficou muito desapontado com o episódio. Com isso, a posição de honra ficou vaga, dando chances para Ocon assumir a ponta e vencer mais uma.

No início Felix Serralles ultrapassou Felix Rosenqvist para ocupar o quarto lugar na primeira volta, Nicholas Latifi aproveitou e também ultrapassou o sueco e vice-campeão da temporada passada na primeira volta. Durante a corrida, a disputa pela vitória ficou entre: Ocon e Giovizanni, enquanto que Jones tinha que defender sua posição dos ataques de Lucas Auer vencedor da prova de ontem. Quando parecia que haveria mudanças nas primeiras posições Michele Beretta saiu da pista e o carro de segurança foi acionado, na relargada as posições foram mantidas.

O quarto colocado Lucas Auer atacou Jones nas duas últimas voltas, mas o piloto dos Emirados Árabes Unidos habilmente defendeu sua posição e manteve o austríaco atrás. Por fim, o piloto da Carlin foi recompensado com o terceiro lugar atrás do vencedor Ocon e Giovinazzi. Blomqvist, Latifi, Rosenqvist, Serralles, Jordan King e Jake Dennis completaram o top 10. Único brasileiro no grid da F3 Euro Series, Felipe Guimarães, fez uma prova discreta e terminou em décimo quarto. Abaixo comentários dos três primeiros colocados:

Esteban Ocon, (Prema Powerteam): “Eu tive um bom começo, consegui ganhar o primeiro lugar e manter Antonio atrás de mim. Quando o carro de segurança saiu pouco antes do final, eu inicialmente pensava que a corrida não seria reiniciada, mas não foi o caso. Meu reinício foi muito bom também, depois dos problemas que tive na corrida de ontem, eu estou muito feliz com esta vitória”.

Antonio Giovinazzi, (Jagonya Ayam com Carlin): “Após o início, eu estava em segundo lugar atrás de Esteban e, era capaz de segui-lo ao longo da corrida. No entanto, tenho que admitir que eu nunca estava perto o suficiente para atacá-lo. Após o reinício, eu estava bem atrás dele por um tempo, mas não queria correr muitos riscos. O segundo lugar me dá um monte de pontos sendo assim um bom resultado”.

Edward Jones, (Carlin): “Estou muito feliz com este segundo pódio no fim de semana, mas eu realmente tive que trabalhar duro nesta corrida. Especialmente na segunda metade da corrida, Lucas Auer me colocou sob muita pressão e ele me atacou após a fase do safety car. Foi uma agradável batalha em que cada um deixou ao outro espaço suficiente. Claro, eu estou muito feliz por ter ficado à frente nesta batalha”.

Fotos: FIA F3 Euro Series - divulgação