POURCHAIRE HANDED VICTORY
Sauber Junior Theo Pourchaire followed the Safety Car to victory in the F3 Sprint Race, after race-ending contact between Liam Lawson and Jake Hughes took both drivers out of the race.
Enzo Fittipaldi stalled on the grid but was able to get going and retake his position on the formation lap, whilst Matteo Nannini coasted back to the pits and got going again with only around 15 laps to go.
Once the race started it was Pourchaire who stormed into the lead, jumping poleman Hughes, and fending off his challenge into turn 3. The young Frenchman led all the way until DRS became too powerful on lap 4. Lawson coming from third to take the lead at turn 4, however it was only brief with Hughes retaking the lead just a lap later.
Thed rama continue on lap 6 with Clement Novalak getting airbourne in the Carlin on the exit of turn 6, trying an ambitious move around the outside saw him get on the kerbs too much and fly off through the gravel, he was able to continue after a quick trip to the pits for the mechanics to inspect the damage. Olli Caldwell then started to go backwards in the Trident, losing out to David Beckmann and Richard Verschoor on consecutive laps. His team mate Lirim Zendeli got aggressive on the exit of turn four, forcing Sebastian Fernandez off the road and through the gravel.
Lap 10 saw Zendeli get a taste of his own medicine, the PREMA of Frederik Vesti forcing the German off the road at exactly the same spot. A lap later saw Lawson make a successful lunge for the lead, just as the Safety Car came out as Campos had a nightmare lap. Sophia Floersch was trying to pass Alex Smolyar on the exit of turn three, in a gap that was always going to be closed off, meaning Floersch spun off into the wall, bringing out the Safety Car. Her team mate Alex Peroni then went off through the gravel through turn eight whilst the other Campos of Alessio Deledda ended up with a damaged front wing after contact that wasn’t shown on the feed.
Racing resumed on lap 17 with Jake Hughes immediately starting to challenge Lawson for the lead again, as Cameron Das and Lukas Dunner made contact behind squabbling over the minor positions. The most dramatic moment of the race came on lap 21, Hughes trying to pass Lawson around the outside of turn four. Lawson got on the kerb slightly too much and understeer into the HWA of Hughes, taking both out of the race, just as Pourchaire dived through and Richard Verschoor had to take major avoiding action to dodge Hughes’ ailing car.
Pourchaire followed the Safety Car home to take his first ever win in F3, ahead of Logan Sargeant and David Beckmann who joined him on the podium.
RACE RESULT:
POURCHAIRE SARGEANT BECKMANN
VERSCHOOR PIASTRI CALDWELL FEWTRELL VESTI FERNANDEZ ZENDELI
PERONI HAUGER FITTIPALDI FRAGA AHMED VISCAAL SCHUMACHER STANEK DUNNER DOOHAN SMOLYAR DELEDDA MALVESTITI WILLIAMS NOVALAK
LAWSON - DNF HUGHES - DNF DAS - DNF FLOERSCH - DNF NANNINI - NC
