Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Round 6

  • F3 – RND 6 – Day 2 & 3

    Sprint Race-

    Badoer got a great start from pole while teammate Clerot covered off Mattia Colnaghi into Turn 1, allowing Nakamura to sneak through into third place.
    The Hitech driver was alongside Clerot down the Kemmel Straight and made a move around the outside for second into Les Combes.

    Just behind them, title rivals Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater locked horns. The pair then made contact and ran into the gravel at Turn 6, leaving the Briton out on the race.
    His Campos Racing rival returned to the pitlane with suspension damage, before rejoining the race one lap down with their collision having brought out the Safety Car.

    Racing resumed entering Lap 4, with Badoer getting a good launch. But going up into Eau Rouge and Les Combes, Nakamura rounded the Rodin driver to take the lead.

    Lap 5 and Clerot was on the attack into the final chicane, but Badoer held firm and retained second position ahead of his teammate.

    With his title rivals out of the points, Nael set about making progress up the order. He cleared Taito Kato for P5 on Lap 7 along the Kemmel Straight.

    On to Lap 8 and Tuukka Taponen seized on an opportunity to steal seventh from Enersto Rivera at La Source, but the Mexican driver fought back through into Les Combes with DRS.

    The Safety Car was back out on Lap 8 after DAMS Lucas Oil’s Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi got wide out of Turn 1 and collected a polystyrene board, dispatching debris across the racing line that needed clearing away.

    With two laps to go, the Safety Car was back in and before racing resumed, Nakamura almost spun off the road as he opted to go back to full speed at the chicane.

    Behind the leaders, Kato battled back through on Nael to retake P5 around the outside on entry to Les Combes.
    The Frenchman returned the favour though before the end of the lap, making a bold move down the inside into the final chicane. But the ART rookie rejoined ahead of the Campos driver on corner exit.

    Up ahead though, Nakamura held onto the lead and claimed his maiden victory in F3 ahead of the Rodin teammate Badoer and Clerot.

    Feature Race-

    Slater got a poor start from pole and it was Tuukka Taponen that led the field by Turn 1. Yamakoshi followed the Finn through to take second, while the polesitter recovered enough momentum to emerge from the first corner in third.

    Yamakoshi then went wheel to wheel with Taponen approaching Les Combes and the Japanese driver swept into the lead of the race at Turn 5.

    Ugochukwu ran into the gravel on the exit of Turn 7 after contact with teammate Theophile Nael. The Frenchman sustained front wing damage following an earlier touch with ART Grand Prix’s Taito Kato approaching Turn 5, and that caused him to understeer towards the Championship leader.

    The Safety Car was deployed at the end of the first lap with AIX Racing’s Yevan David in the gravel.

    Racing resumed entering Lap 4 and Yamakoshi suffered a big slide at the penultimate corner to leave him under pressure from Taponen. But it was Slater on the move, diving to the inside of the Finn at La Source, though the MP driver was able to hold onto second with a better exit.

    With DRS re-enabled on Lap 6, Ugochukwu completed a pass on Rodin Motorsport’s Christian Ho, claiming P9 ahead of Turn 5 with the slip stream.

    Lap 7 and Slater reproduced the title rival’s move, taking P2 from Taponen on the run to Turn 5.
    One lap later and the Trident driver was back into the lead of the race with a move into Les Combes on Yamakoshi.

    Onto Lap 9 and behind the leaders, Rivera dived to the inside of Taponen to claim third place at Turn 5. However, there was slight contact with the right-rear tyre of Yamakoshi, leaving the Campos with a missing front wing endplate.

    Taponen was wide out of Turn 1 at the start of Lap 10, allowing Mattia Colnaghi to move ahead for fourth place on the run to Eau Rouge.

    Fellow Red Bull Junior Team driver Rivera was up to second at Turn 5, repeating his move from the previous lap on Yamakoshi.

    Lap 11 and Taponen was down to P6 as a charging Maciej Gladysz put himself into the top five at Turn 5. Ugochukwu dropped out of the points as Brando Badoer put a move on the American.

    Bruno del Pino and Jin Nakamura completed moves on the Campos driver at the start of Lap 12, while Rivera was on the attack with DRS up front. He cleared Slater on the run to Turn 5 to claim the lead of the race.

    One lap later and Yamakoshi was attacking clearing Slater after the Briton dropped out of DRS range to Rivera ahead.

    Entering the penultimate lap and the fight for the lower points places was hotting up, as Alessandro Giusti, Jin Nakamura and Badoer exchanging places in eighth, ninth and 10th positions.

    After taking the lead, nobody could catch Rivera, who claimed his maiden Feature Race victory and second win overall in his rookie season.

    Yamakoshi claimed P2, while Slater was able to remain in the podium positions to take third.

  • F3 – RND 6 – Day 1

    Practice-

    Trident’s Freddie Slater wound up fastest overall in the Spa-Francorchamps Free Practice session, setting a 2:06.311 to lead the pack.
    Theophile Nael was second for Campos Racing, with Pedro Clerto third for Rodin Motorsport.

    With preparation laps complete, Nael set the early time to beat with a 2:08.335. That was quickly beaten by compatriot Alessandro Giusit, who lowered the benchmark to a 2:06.895.

    MP Motorsport teammate Tukkka Taponen then usurped him to go to P1 with a 2:06.622, with Slater moving up to second, just 0.093s behind the Finn.

    Maciej Gladysz put ART Grand Prix top of the pile on his next attempt, before Clerot and then Slater beat his time. The Briton went to P1 with a 2:06.311, 0.239s ahead of the Brazilian.

    Drivers returned to the pitlane with over 10 minutes to go to wait for more optimal track conditions.

    With the cars back on track and the session ticking into the final five minutes, drivers went for their next flying laps, but there were few improvements in the field

    Nael rebounded from an earlier setback in the session to move himself up to P2. Taito Kato was another to find time, jumping up to eighth place, 0.274s off Slater’s earlier effort.

    Into the final minute and there was plenty of scrapping for track position in the third sector as drivers fought to get one last run in, but nobody could find any more time on their well-worn Pirelli Hard tyres.

    Slater ended up fastest ahead of Nael and Clerot, with Gladysz and Ernesto Rivera rounding out a top five that was covered by a quarter of a second.

    Qualifying-

    Freddie Slater earned his second Aramco Pole Position Award Pole Position Award, setting a 2:05.150 on his first attempt in a rain and Red Flag-affected session.

    The Trident driver finished ahead of Tuukka Taponen, who earned P2 for MP Motorsport, while Hiyu Yamakoshi wound up third, although the Van Amersfoort Racing driver was involved in the session-ending Red Flag incident.

    The session began with rain beginning to fall and drivers were desperate to get their times in early in case the intensity increased.

    Louis Sharp was at the head of the field and delivered a 2:06.864, but he was bettered immediately by teammate James Wharton.

    Pedro Clerot then went to the top until Yamakoshi went quicker still. Taponen beat the Japanese driver by 0.088s to take provisional top spot.

    But Slater went quickest overall on a 2:05.150, a quarter of a second ahead than the Finn in P2 with everyone’s first laptimes on the board.

    Drivers pushed on immediately for a second attempt as the rain increased, with Fionn McLaughlin informed over team radio that heavy rain was five minutes away.

    Noah Stromsted went up to fourth on his second lap ahead of Ernesto Rivera in fifth with 22 minutes to go.

    Drivers then backed off to prepare for another flying lap which kickstarted the battle for track position, with everyone eager for a slipstream to avoid leading the field from the very front.

    Some drivers opted to pit at the end of the lap while those that continued and opened a third attempt found that track conditions had deteriorated enough to prevent any improvements. They all boxed at the end of the lap with 17 minutes left of the session.

    Cars re-emerged from the pitlane with just under half of the session remaining and with several drivers in search of an improvement. Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu sat ninth as his closest rival in the Standings retained provisional pole.

    There was more battling for track position heading into the final 10 minutes but this time, several cars made contact. Stromsted collided with Yevan David, who tagged Jose Garfias, while Yamakoshi was involved.

    It caused a Red Flag with 9:38 left on the clock with the Trident, AIX Racing and Van Amersfoort Racing cars needing to be cleared away.

    With the rain increasing, the session was not resumed. It left Slater on top ahead of Taponen and Yamakoshi.

  • F2 – RND 6 – Day 1

    Practice-

    MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe was fastest in the Spielberg Free Practice, completing a 1:16.978 to lead the way by 0.07s to Nikola Tsolov, with Alexander Dunne a further tenth behind in third.

    After the early installation laps, the fast time began as Gabriele Mini set the pace on a 1:17.384 – 0.080s ahead of Kush Maini in second.

    On the next set of push laps, it was Mini’s MP teammate Goethe that led the way. The German’s 1:16.978 put him on top by 0.250s to Tsolov.

    Tsolov improved on his next lap but remained in second. However, the Campos Racing driver had closed to within 0.070s of P1.

    Rafael Camara then set the fastest first sector but he, like the rest of his rivals was forced to abandon his lap and return to the pitlane with the Red Flags being waved.

    Cian Shields had run wide through the gravel at the exit of Turn 6 before spinning into a stoppage, with the marshals needing to clear his AIX Racing car from the track.

    The green light was on with less than 25 minutes to go, but the teams waited a little longer before sending their cars out.

    The drivers started to return to the track with just under 20 minutes to go although there were no instant improvements.

    Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak jumped up from P11 to sixth but was demoted to seventh once Noel Leon moved up to P4 later on.

    Long run pace was the focus for several meaning there was no changes to the timesheets, with Goethe leading the way ahead of Tsolov and Dunne.

    Qualifying-

    Campos Racing’s Noel Leon took his first ever Aramco Pole Position Award in the afternoon’s Spielberg Qualifying, beating Alexander Dunne and teammate Nikola Tsolov to P1.

    The Mexican rookie used an empty track to his advantage to complete a 1:15.544, beating Dunne by over a tenth to take pole.

    It was a great start for Campos with Leon leading Tsolov by just 0.015s in an early 1-2 for the team thanks to a 1:16.283.

    The drivers were able to push on for second laps on their Supersoft tyres and Leon improved to put 0.179s between him and Tsolov.
    But he was soon demoted to P2 by Rafael Camara, who went P1 with a 1:16.062.

    The Invicta Racing driver led a small group of cars at the top of the timesheets than returned to the pitlane after their second lap, with a few drivers down the order choosing to do one more.

    While the rest of his rivals waited in the pitlane, Leon returned to the track on a new set of Supersofts to complete a 1:15.544 – 0.508s quicker than Camara.

    The Campos driver returned to the pitlane after that lap, while the other 21 cars came out on track, watching on as his rivals set personal best sector times.
    But nobody could match Leon, with Dunne going the closest, 0.129s behind in P2.

    They pushed on for second laps but Leon’s time went unbeaten giving him his maiden FIA Formula 2 pole position.

    https://x.com/formula2/status/2070514511656722679?s=46&t=aXLQ2Py0qaT52rhG6u6Lig

  • Gasly regains Monaco Grand Prix Podium

    Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix podium has been reinstated after Alpine’s Right of Review request proved successful.

    After starting ninth on the grid last weekend in the Principality, the Frenchman had improved to P4 throughout a race that included two Safety Cars and a red flag before gaining another position as Mercedes’ George Russell served a late drive through penalty.

    However, Gasly had been penalised for speeding in the pit lane twice during the race and was handed two separate five-second time penalties which were added to his time, demoting him to seventh at the chequered flag.

    Following the race, Alpine requested a Right of Review into that decision that cost Gasly his first podium of the season, with the initial hearing taking place yesterday during the start of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend.

    The Enstone based team were successful in the initial hearing, having successfully provided new, significant and relevent evidence.

    We welcome the decision made by the FIA to deem our Right of Review as admissible following the final classification of last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. As a result, the Stewards have rescinded the two five-second penalties imposed on Car #10, which reinstates the team’s third place finish. We would like to thank the FIA and Formula One Management for its transparency and co-operation throughout the Right of Review process and for reaching this decision. The team’s focus is now very much on this weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix and striving for the best possible result with both of its cars.
    Alpine’s statement.

    This means that Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar will lose his podium result, with the Frenchman being demoted to P4 while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and the two Racing Bulls cars of Lawson and Lindblad will also drop a position.

  • Round 6 – Monaco Grand Prix

    Kimi Antonelli avoided the late drama of the Monaco Grand Prix to consolidate his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings even further, beating Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar in an exhilarating race that saw seven drivers retire.

    At lights out in Monaco, the Mercedes driver calmly maintained first place as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen faced a devastating issue at the start that saw him slide down the order before he became the first to DNF.

    While others struggled with various mechanical problems that forced them out of the action, including Valtteri Bottas and McLaren driver Lando Norris, Antonelli consistently opened up his advantage over the Ferrari pair of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

    However, his win was threatened with around 20 laps remaining when Lance Stroll crashed at the final corner of the Circuit de Monaco, bringing out a Safety Car that allowed many to take a second pit stop without losing too much time.
    It may have put Antonelli’s lead in danger, but it offered a brilliant opportunity for those who had been handed time penalties for speeding in the pit lane to serve them during the race.

    The restart was short-lived as local favourite Leclerc experienced an identical crash to Stroll’s and the event was halted to inspect track break-up at the site. His DNF helped promote Hadjar to his first Red Bull podium – Pierre Gasly finished ahead on the road but dropped down the order thanks to two five second penalties.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Antonelli, P2: Hamilton, P3: Hadjar, P4: Piastri, P5: Lawson, P6: Lindblad, P7: Gasly, P8: Albon, P9: Ocon and P10: Alonso.

    What a result for Antonelli! Exactly what he would’ve wanted after he knew he was starting in an ideal position, he did well to handle both the Safety Car and Red Flag. As for Russell, a race to forget for him, we knew he wouldn’t really get the opportunity to do much overtaking but it went from bad to worse when he didn’t serve his 5 second time penalty when he pitted, he then got penalised with a drive through penalty which saw him finish 12th.

    Another podium for Hamilton, a really strong showing for the Ferrari driver this weekend, and fully deserved the podium. As for his teammate, unfortunate for him to crash so late on in the race as it was looking like a double podium for the Ferrari team, but it was completely out of Leclerc’s control.

    3rd for Isack Hadjar, his first podium with the Red Bull boys, and fully deserved aswell, the team will be happy that their ‘2nd car/driver’ is doing exactly what they want. As for Max Verstappen, a horrible day for him, he had problems on the formation lap with getting away and then he just couldn’t get going when the lights went out and when he did, he didn’t have full power, so had to pit and retire – very unfortunate from him as he had a good qualifying!

    4th for Piastri, a good result for the McLaren driver after a mediocre qualifying like I said in the qualifying post for him it will be capitalising on others misfortune. As for the reigning World Champion an unfortunate race for him having to retire the car after loosing speed.

    Double points for the Racing Bulls, 5th for Lawson and 6th for Lindblad, a really strong showing from the drivers and team as a whole.

    7th for Gasly, even though initially he crossed the line in third, it would’ve been great to see him on the podium again, but I suppose we will have to wait a little while longer!

    It’s been an incredible weekend, an incredible race. It was one of those days where we had incredible pace and it was just coming all so naturally. The car was feeling incredible and it was just giving me the confidence to push, so it was a very enjoyable day.
    Antonelli on the win.

  • Round 6 – Monaco Qualifying

    Kimi Antonelli has clinched pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix in a thrilling conclusion to qualifying, the Mercedes driver storming to the top of the timesheets ahead of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

    After Antonelli set the pace during the initial runs of Q3, the likes of Charles Leclerc and Verstappen subsequently toppled him as the session headed towards its close – but the Italian displaced Verstappen in P1 on a lap of 1m 12.051s, marking his maiden Monte Carlo pole.

    Verstappen has to settle for second place in the Red Bull, his effort being only 0.043s adrift of Antonelli’s, while Hamilton was just over two tenths away for Ferrari in third.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Antonelli, P2: Verstappen, P3: Hamilton, P4: Leclerc, P5: Hadjar, P6: Russell, P7: Piastri, P8: Norris, P9: Gasly and P10: Lawson.

    What a result for Antonelli! He put it all on the line when it mattered and got the job done! As for his teammate, not a very good result at all as Russell is starting sixth, not really much he can do from there apart from waiting for other people’s mistakes.

    A great qualifying for Verstappen, especially as the team was having issues the majority of the weekend, hopefully they can keep it up in the race. A great result for Hadjar, P5 for the Red Bull driver, a decent result after an eventful start to the weekend.

    The Ferrari’s have had a great weekend so far! Hamilton starts third and home-town hero Leclerc starts fourth, I think if he didn’t hit the wall on his last flying lap he would be looking at a front row start if not pole, very unfortunate for him.

    An okay result for the McLaren’s 7th and 8th, not good at all, it will be hoping drivers in front have problems for them to get further up the field and all about pit stop strategy!

    Gasly starting ninth, another good result for the French driver, he will be looking to score points this weekend! And the same goes for Liam Lawson looking for another points finish.

    It was one of those laps we call the magic lap. I was able to put [it] all together and it was such a close Qualifying with Max – I think in the first run of Q3 there was just one millisecond between us, but I knew the last lap was good and was just hoping that it would be enough. It was very close and I’m very happy with that. Massive thanks to the team because yesterday we struggled a little bit and today we were able to improve massively.
    Antonelli on pole.

  • Round 6 – Tyre Selection

    The Monaco Grand Prix is not just a sporting event, but also a social highlight that brings together history and glamour.
    The circuit which has hosted racing since 1929, winds its way through the streets of the Principality: it measures 3.337 kilometres and features 19 corners some of them characterised by extremely tight angles.

    The carriageway, which essentially coincides with the two lanes of normal urban traffic, is extremely narrow and almost entirely lacking run-off areas.
    Safety barriers line the entire track and are often brushed by the drivers, who try to gain even a few centimetres by following the ideal racing line.

    For Monaco, the softest tyre range is always selected, this year, C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft), to ensure maximum grip on a very smooth asphalt surface.
    This year, the road surface has been resurfaced between Turns 19 and 1, between Turn 7 and the entrance to the tunnel, as well as on the entry to and exit from the pit lane.

    The low level of tyre degradation on the Monaco track traditionally results in a one-stop race. An exception was last year, when the FIA introduced an experimental regulatory change obliging drivers to use at least three different sets of tyres, thereby enforcing at least two pit stops. The rule was subsequently abandoned and the classic format returns.

    Strategies are influenced above all by neutralisations and red flags, which are quite frequent given the high probability of contact with the barriers and the difficulty of removing car without interrupting the race.

  • Aston Martin reveal special livery for Monaco

    Aston Martin revealed a new colour scheme created in collaboration with Maaden, one of the Silverstone team’s sponsors.

    The AMR26 cars will temporarily abandon Aston Martin’s traditional green in favour of the “From Rock to Racetrack” campaign.
    The livery is said to trace the journey of metals and minerals from extraction to high-performance engineering.

    The aim is to demonstrate how materials extracted by Maaden are transformed into the fundamental components that contribute to powering modern society.

    The livery features an iridescent, colour-shifting finish, created using a special coating material being used by Aston Martin for the first time.
    The result is a design that visibly changes colour as the car travels around Monaco’s iconic street circuit, symbolising the transformation of raw material into advanced technology.

    Aston Martin has faced a tough start to its 2026 campaign, its first with an Adrian Newey-designed racer. However, the team’s new works partnership with Honda has gotten off to a rocky start, with engine vibrations and reliability issues hampering its progress this year.

  • McLaren reveal livery for Monaco Grand Prix

    McLaren will be racing in a special livery to celebrate McLaren Racing’s 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix.

    Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s MCL40 will take to the streets of Monaco in a livery adorned with metallic papaya complemented by anthracite.
    Across the livery there are nods to the rich history with hidden gems recognising important milestones, from their first race, victories and Championship wins, to the Triple Crown and their world record pit stop.

    Both drivers will also wear special overalls, carrying on the design language from the car.

    The livery symbolises the message that McLaren Never Quits. As the team approaches the 1000th Grand Prix milestone, it highlights the stories and the work it took to get to the anniversary, championing moments where the team was not only successful, but also the challenges it faced and how it came out stronger.

    The commemorative livery will run on the MCL40 for the 2026 Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix.

  • F3 – Spielberg – Round-Up

    Practice-

    Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov set the fastest time of Friday morning’s Free Practice session, leading the way ahead of Trident’s Rafael Camara and Noah Stromsted.

    The Bulgarian’s 1:22.018 proved to be the lap to beat, leading his Championship rival by 0.158s, as Stromsted rounded out the top three, over four-tenths behind.

    The session started with most of the grid biding their time in the pitlane, although DAMS Lucas Oil debutant Nikita Johnson was getting up to speed, setting an early time of 1:25.165.

    However, with just over 10 minutes gone in the session, Stromsted made his way onto the track and completed a 1:24.311.

    As the Danish rookie finished his first flying attempt, the majority of the grid made their way on to the circuit.
    PREMA’s Noel Leon then went to P2 on 1:24.001. However, there was bad news for his teammate Brando Badoer, who wound up in the gravel at Turn 8, bringing out the Red Flags.

    Action resumed with just over 18 minutes left in the session, but a Red Flag was soon signalled with Hitech TGR’s Gerrard Xie having stopped on track at Turn 3.

    10 minutes remained on the clock when the green flags were waved, and there were plenty of changes on the timing screens as Tsolov’s 1:22.018 put him on top.

    The Campos driver was 1.098s clear of Taponen in second when the Red Flags were back out, with AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides having found the gravel at Turn 4.

    Three minutes were left on the clock when green flag running resumed and the drivers were able to improve as Camara went to P2, with Stromsted 0.483s off Tsolov, in P3.

    Qualifying-

    Nikola Tsolov was in supreme form on Friday afternoon in Speilberg as the Campos Racing driver took the Aramco Pole Position Award with a dominant qualifying effort.

    The Bulgarian led after each lap and took P1 with a 1:20.743 ahead of AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides and Trident’s Noah Stromsted, as Championship leader Rafael Camara finished seventh.

    Tsolov got off to a fine start by putting in a 1:21.598 on his first flying lap, with his Campos teammate Mari Boya in second, but over half a second behind after the first set of times.

    The Bulgarian improved on his next attempt to a 1:21.282 as MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz went up to second, 0.064s behind, while Camara rounded out the top three.

    Several drivers chose to push on for a third flying lap, and Alessandro Giusti was one of a few able to eke out more performance. The MP driver went up to third, just behind teammate Tramnitz, and 0.097s off top spot.

    After returning to the pit lane for a second set of soft tyres, the drivers were back out on track with just over 10 minutes to go.

    Camara led the pack away and went fastest on a 1:21.011, but the Brazilian was quickly beaten by Tsolov, who went top by 0.084s with a 1:20.927.

    The Red Bull Junior continued on to improve and on his next attempt, completed a 1:20.743 to seal his second pole position of the season.

    Benavides then went to second place on his final lap for AIX, finishing 0.176s off Tsolov’s time, with Noah Stromsted going to third for Trident.

    Sprint Race-

    It was a strong getaway from pole for Wharton, but it was the same for his fellow front row starter Giusti, although the ART rookie kept his rival at bay on the opening lap.

    Behind them, Charlie Wurz was struggling to keep hold of P3 from Ugochukwu. But the PREMA rookie ended up losing a place at Turn 7 to his teammate Brando Badoer, dropping him to fifth.

    As Lap 2 ended there was a multi-car collision in the midfield between Christian Ho, Louis Sharp and Tuukka Taponen at Turn 4, ending all three drivers’ race.
    Ho brought his DAMS Lucas Oil machinery back to the pitlane, but Sharp and Taponen’s cars needed to be cleared from the track bringing out the Safety Car.

    Action resumed at the start of Lap 5 of 21, and Nikola Tsolov was on the move, diving to the inside of Callum Voisin at Turn 1 to take P7, as Wharton kept the lead ahead of Giusti.

    At the start of Lap 6, Badoer ran wide at Turn 1, allowing Ugochukwu to take P4.
    Rafael Camara looked to have overtaken the PREMA rookie, but the Italian fought back at Turn 3 to keep fifth.

    In the battle for ninth, Bruno del Pino and Brad Benavides collided at Turn 3, with both drivers forced to pit with damage, before coming back out, although the latter later retired.

    Lap 9 and Camara looked to go round the outside of Badoer at Turn 4. However, a bad run on corner exit allowed Championship rival Tsolov to get past for P6 at the exit of Turn 6.

    The two drivers continued to battle on the next lap, but as they went side-by-side through Turn 4 once again, Camara dipped a wheel in the gravel, dropping him down to P9.

    Lap 12 of 21 kicked off with Giusti half a second behind Wharton, and the MP driver looked to make a move to the inside at the popular Turn 4 but again found no way through.

    The battle for the podium places continued on the next lap as Badoer looked to dive to the inside of Ugochukwu at Turn 3. However, the PREMA driver braked too late and went into the rear of Wurz in P3, sending both into a spin.

    The Safety Car was deployed moments later with Wurz’s Trident on the side of the road, while Badoer came into the pitlane to change his front wing before coming back out.

    Racing resumed on Lap 18 of 21, and Wharton had another good restart, as did Giusti.
    But Ugochukwu, now in third, was coming under pressure from Tsolov and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak.

    However, the Campos pair started to battled, allowing Ugochukwu to keep the position.

    As Wharton crossed the line to start Lap 20, the Australian rookie had built a lead of 1.1s to Giusti, while Ugochukwu was 2.2s behind the race leader, while fighting to keep Tsolov behind.

    Onto the final lap and Giusti has closed to within DRS range of Wharton, but could not get ahead of the ART driver, who crossed the line to take his first win in FIA Formula 3,

    Giusti achieved his second consecutive podium finish in second, while it was a maiden trip to the rostrum for Ugochukwu, who held off the challenge from Tsolov to finish P3.

    Feature Race-

    It was a great start for pole-sitter Tsolov, who kept the lead ahead of fellow front row starter Brad Benavides, with Noah Stromsted staying in third.

    However, on Lap 2, Benavides locked up into Turn 3, putting Stromsted right on the back of the AIX Racing car.
    The American held on, but this battle meant that Tsolov was 1.9s clear out in front.

    The Trident driver eventually took second place with a move to the outside at Turn 3, and fellow rookie Ugo Ugochukwu followed him through to go to P3.

    Benavides’ day got worse on Lap 4, with Rafael Camara, Callum Voisin and Brando Badoer all passing him, dropping him to P7.

    Onto Lap 6, and Ugochukwu was slowly closing the gap to Tsolov out in front, although the PREMA driver was coming under pressure from Camara, who had passed teammate Stromsted into Turn 4 for P3.

    The Championship’s leader fightback continued on the next lap, as he battled past Ugochukwu to get to second, with his targets set on chasing down title rival Tsolov.

    Stromsted was then next to make a move on lap 9, getting past Ugochukwu into Turn 4 to take P3.
    Martinius Stenshorne was making his way through the field after starting in P15 and with an overtake on Voisin, was up to fifth by the end of Lap 11.

    The Rodin Motorsport driver was soon down to P10 on Lap 13 however, losing four places to Tim Tramnitz, Mari Boya, Theophile Nael and Charlie Wurz.

    Back in the battle for the podium places, Stromsted was struggling to keep Ugochukwu behind, but in trying to make a move at Turn 3, the PREMA Racing rookie lost out to Stenshorne.

    Tramnitz’s fight back also continued the following lap, braving it around the outside of Ugochukwu at turn 7 to take fifth place on Lap 16.

    Out in front, Tsolov was 4.6s clear of Camara at the start of Lap 18, but the Brazilian was not in comfortable second place, as Stenshorne closed to within DRS range of the Trident.

    The McLaren backed driver took second place on the next lap at Turn 1, while Tramnitz took advantage of Stromsted running wide at the final corner to take P4 down the main straight.

    Boya kicked off Lap 21 of 26 having just set the fastest lap of the race and dived to the inside of Ugochukwu at Turn 3 to take fifth place.

    Wurz was the next to get past Stromsted, going around the outside of his TRIDENT teammate at Turn 7 to take P7 on Lap 22.

    The fight for the final spot on the podium then heated up on Lap 24, as Tramnitz closed to within DRS range of Camara for third. The MP driver dived to the inside of the Brazilian to take P3.

    Camara’s stuggles continued a few corners later as Boya made an audacious move at Turn 9, relegating him to fifth. Ugochukwu was next to get past the Trident driver, this time at Turn 5.

    But out in front, Tsolov had built a lead of over six second to Stenshorne and crossed the line to take his sixth F3 victory of the 2025 season, closing to within one point of Championship leader, Camara.

    However, the FIA have found that Nikola Tsolov has been in breach of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Technical Regulations, resulting in disqualification from the results.

    So the new full top 10 are- P1: Stenshorne, P2: Tramnitz, P3: Boya, P4: Ugochukwu, P5: Camara, P6: Wurz, P7: Stromsted, P8: Voisin, P9: Benadvides and P10: Nael.

  • RND 6 – Monaco E-Prix

    Nissan’s Oliver Rowland picked his way through a frenetic closing third of the 2025 Monaco E-Prix Round 6, to drive to a comfortable win over Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries and Andretti’s Jake Dennis.

    The Yorkshireman secured a first win around the inimitable streets of Monte Carlo and a third victory in six races of the 2024/25 season so far to extend his standings lead.

    Barnard led Rowland and the rest of the field away two wide through Sainte Devote with de Vries jumping Ticktum for third.
    The early throes saw the pack bide their time with PIT BOOST to come.

    On Lap 6, Ticktum skipped across the chicane, with race control deeming him to have gained an advantage as he was squeezed on the outside of de Vries.
    The CUPRA Kiro driver had to give up fourth to Wehrlein as a result.

    Cassidy found himself sixth once he used his first ATTACK MODE, with good progress from 19th on the grid.
    Meanwhile, Ticktum, on Lap 8 had dropped to eighth after that trip over the chicane a couple of laps prior.

    Lap 9 saw a full course yellow with da Costa into the wall at Anthony Nogues as he misjudged a lunge up the inside of Mortara’s Mahindra.
    Three laps later and we were green once again, as de Vries got caught napping, giving third to Dennis and fourth to Wehrlein before Rowland tried a dive up the inside of leader Barnard through the second half of the swimming pool.

    A lap later, Rowland managed to make a move on the McLaren driver stick – outdoing him into the chicane for the lead with Barnard forced to give up the spot having jumped the kerbs.

    On Lap 15, it was another full course yellow for Evans as he had a technical issue which brought his race to a premature end.
    A lap later, and we was back underway with Barnard heading Rowland and Dennis – with the man in second having taken ATTACK, which he used to hit the front over the start/finish as Lap 17 began.

    At the end of the same lap, Barnard and Dennis jumped into the pits for their PIT BOOST, with Rowland, de Vries and Wehrlein able to stride away as the then-top three.

    Mueller, who pitted early to repair a puncture, looked to be the man in the box seat – with the Andretti driver having taken PIT BOOST while having eight minutes and two activations of his Attack Mode power advantage in hand. He hit the net race lead on Lap 20 as Beckmann and Hughes headed for Pit Boost.
    Once the order began to shake out on Lap 22, Mueller had the lead from Cassidy – with both down on energy to third-placed Rowland.

    Rowland crept by Cassidy on Lap 23 at the chicane, and Mueller, down on energy but still at the front, now had just three seconds in his pocket over Rowland.

    The start of lap 25 saw de Vries pinch second from Rowland at Sainte Devote, with just two seconds between P1 and P7.
    The concertina effect spat Barnard out into the wall at Fairmont as the pole sitter skittled all the way down the order.

    Mahindra’s de Vries followed up on his move for second with a strike for the lead at the chicane in the melee – shuffling Mueller to second, and then third behind teammate Dennis.

    De Vries held fast but it was now Rowland the one to watch as the Nissan driver became the last of the leaders to jump through the Attack mode activation loop.
    He swooped by the Andretti’s on Lap 27 through Sector 1 and set about de Vries before dispatching the Mahindra driver through the tunnel for the lead with what looked like the decisive move.

    The standings leader was able to stride to a 2.5 second lead and rounded the final few laps for a comfortable win in the end.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Rowland, P2: De Vries, P3: Dennis, P4: Mortara, P5: Mueller, P6: Wehrlein, P7: Ticktum, P8: Frijns, P9: Vandoorne and P10: Guenther.

  • R6 – Miami

    Oscar Piastri has strengthened his lead in the World Championship by clinching his fourth victory of the season at the Miami Grand Prix, the Australian leading home team mate Lando Norris making it a 1-2 for McLaren.

    While Max Verstappen initially led away from pole, a battle with Norris saw the Briton run wide and drop down the order – letting Kimi Antonelli and Piastri through in the process.
    But as the laps ticked down – and Piastri overtook the Mercedes – Verstappen soon found himself under increasing pressure from the championship leader.

    After Piastri eventually found a way past, a recovering Norris subsequently followed through into second, allowing the papaya cars to build up a sizeable gap at the front.

    The full top 10 are – P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Verstappen, P5: Albon, P6: Antonelli, P7: Leclerc, P8: Hamilton, P9: Sainz and P10: Tsunoda.

    What a result for McLaren! A 1-2 for the papaya team, which is what they would’ve been aiming for, maybe not the order they expected but you’d rather it be your teammate than a rival.
    But one thing I will say is that Piastri has got pace this season, he is unstoppable at the moment, and if he carries on producing these results he will be a championship contender.

    P3 for Russell! What a great result for the Mercedes driver, especially after his struggles this weekend, he came through the other side and managed to get the podium finish.
    As for Antonelli, he finished 6th, expected a little more from him to be honest, but still a very good weekend for the young driver.

    P4 for Verstappen, a good result, however I did expect a podium from the Dutch driver, he was close to grabbing third from Russell towards the end of the race but it just wasn’t enough.
    As for Tsunoda, he finished the race in 10th, a point for Japanese driver, I did expect more from him to be fair and it’s a shame he wasn’t higher up in the points.

    Now onto Williams, P5 for Albon! Beating a Mercedes, two Ferrari’s and a Red Bull! WOW, what a points haul aswell for Williams, it really is great to see them on the up.

    A bit of a tough race for Ferrari, P7 for Leclerc and P8 for Hamilton, the latter having a somewhat disagreement on the radio with team orders, and in the end I think both drivers lost out on securing more points for the team.

    Now onto the next race weekend, we have another weeks break and then we have another triple header where our first stop will be Italy for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix!

  • RND 6 – Miami Qualifying

    Max Verstappen delivered an incredible performance to clinch pole position in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix.
    The reigning world champion going fastest from Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli despite a slight error on his final run.

    After Verstappen claimed provisional pole during the early runs of Q3 but just 0.003s from Norris, the Dutchman’s prospects during his closing effort looked to be at risk after a wobble in the first corner.
    The Red Bull man still went fastest on a 1m 26.204s, six-hundredths clear of Norris who apologised to his team for taking too much kerb on his lap.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Antonelli, P4: Piastri, P5: Russell, P6: Sainz, P7: Albon, P8: Leclerc, P9: Ocon and P10: Tsunoda.

    What a result for the Dutchman! Just what he would’ve wanted going into the weekend, he will be looking to grab the win later on today and close in on the drivers’ championship.
    As for his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda finished qualifying in 10th. A lot better than the Sprint Qualifying, but still needs to do some work to be closer to his teammate.

    A good result for Norris P2, it seems like his last lap really cost him, it’s still a good result, but I know he’d be kicking himself for the mistake. His teammate qualified fourth, a good result too. They will both be aiming for podiums / potential wins today.

    Now onto Antonelli! The Italian is on fire this weekend, he has qualified third for the Grand Prix. He seems to have found really good form this weekend and its great to see.
    As for Russell, he seems to be struggling a lot this weekend, he still qualified 5th which isn’t too bad but it will be interesting to see how the race goes for him.

    P6 for Carlos Sainz and P7 for Alex Albon, what a performance from the Williams boys! They have seemed to excel this weekend and it is great to see. Hopefully with a good strategy they can score some decent points.

    P8 for Leclerc, not the best result for the Ferrari driver, and as for his teammate Hamilton qualified 12th. Poor performance from the team, but hopefully they have some strategies for both drivers to help them move up to grab those all important points.

  • R6 – Miami Sprint Qualifying

    Kimi Antonelli has clinched his debut pole position after delivering a stunning lap during Sprint Qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix, the Italian holding off the challenge from both McLaren’s to become the youngest polesitter ever – in any race format – in F1.

    A thrilling conclusion to SQ3 saw the name at the top of the timesheets change more than once, with Max Verstappen initially beating George Russell’s benchmark – only for Antonelli to surge through with an effort of 1m 26.482s at the wheel of the Mercedes.

    Oscar Piastri fell short by just 0.045s in second, while fellow McLaren driver Lando Norris had to settle for third.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Antonelli, P2: Piastri, P3: Norris, P4: Verstappen, P5: Russell, P6: Leclerc, P7: Hamilton, P8: Albon, P9: Hadjar and P10: Alonso.

    What a result from Antonelli! First ever pole position and what a way to do it! A great result for the Italian and a promising start to the weekend! Hopefully he can turn it into a Sprint win.
    As for his teammate, Russell qualified 5th, not a bad result as it was very close between the top 6.

    A good result for McLaren P2 and P3. They’ve got a good opportunity for the sprint race, this should boost Norris’s confidence a bit more now, as he has seem to struggled this season.

    A decent result for Verstappen, P4 for the four time world champion! As for his teammate Tsunoda was out in SQ1 after failing to make it to the line to start a lap, very unfortunate for him.

    A decent result for Ferrari, 6th for Leclerc and 7th for Hamilton, a good result for the team and potential for some points today in the sprint race.

    A good result for Albon, P8! I think this is now just the normal for Williams, a familiar face in the top 10’s now.

    P10 for Alonso, nice to see him making an appearance in the top 10, he will be looking to see if the Aston Martin car can get into the points.

  • R6 – Tyre Selection

    Formula 1 moves from shore to shore, from the Red Seas to the Atlantic Ocean, from the Asian continent to North America and from Saudi Arabia to the United States.

    The Miami Grand Prix is the first of three to be held in the United States this year, as has been the case since 2023, with the Floridian round joining the calendar in 2022.
    The race is held on a track around the Hard Rock Stadium, home to Miami Dolphins NFL team and one of nine ATP Masters venues.

    The compounds chosen by Pirelli is the same as that used a fortnight ago in Saudi Arabia. C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft), just as in Jeddah, this is a step softer than last season.

    The surface of the track that runs around the stadium is very smooth, exposing the tyres to moderate longitudinal and lateral forces.
    Thermal degradation will be a major factor, as temperatures are expected to be very high, given that last year’s track temperature exceeded 55°C.

    The surface was relaid in 2023, as with the other temporary Grand Prix circuits, grip levels will increase significantly the more the track rubbers-in across the weekend.

    The Miami International Autodrome is 5.412 kilometres long, the race being run over 57 laps.
    The layout incorporates parking lots, service roads and some public roads with a total of 19 corners, seven to the right and 12 to the left.

    So far, the Miami Grand Prix has been a one-stop race, including last year’s.
    The medium tyre was the tyre of choice for the opening stint for 15 of the 20 drivers, before a switch mainly to the hard, with just a couple of drivers opting for the soft tyre, which actually displayed relatively low degradation.

  • F1 Academy – RND 6 Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-
    Qualifying-

    Mercedes backed Doriane Pin secured double pole in qualifying, meaning she will start first in both races across the penultimate 2024 F1 Academy weekend.

    Alongside her on both front rows will be her PREMA Racing teammate, Ferrari’s Maya Weug, with Alpine’s Abbi Pulling have to settle for third across the two events as she chases down the Drivers’ title.

    After a delayed start to the session due to barrier repairs from an earlier event, Qualifying got underway with just 23 minutes available.

    Pin who was quickest in both Free Practice sessions on Friday, set the first representative time of the session to go top of the timesheets with a 1:55.998.
    However, it didn’t take long for Weug to beat that with a 1:55.779 with the two PREMA teammates going back and forth with the fastest times.

    As Pin found herself quickest once again, Standings’ leader Pulling tried to add to her tally of seven pole positions this season.

    Several drivers found themselves testing the limits of the circuit layout, with the likes of Haas’ Chloe Chambers driving through the gravel traps, Bianca Bustamante losing the rear of her McLaren into Turns 13 and 14 and Block experienced a spin.

    However in the end it was Pin who finished on top as she set a blistering final lap of 1:55.267, going purple in the first sector and improving on her own best time.

    Race 1-

    Abbi Pulling has secured the 2024 F1 Academy title in Qatar, despite Mercedes’ Doriane Pin claiming a dominant victory from pole position in Race 1.

    Pin had been unstoppable so far this weekend, topping every session before delivering a brilliant win in the desert in an attempt to keep her own title hopes alive.
    However, it wasn’t enough to stop Pulling from claiming the Drivers’ title with the Briton’s second place putting it out of mathematical reach.

    Pole-sitter Pin managed to hold her lead over the pack behind on the approach into Turn 1. Behind her, there was a brilliant battle for second place unfolding between Maya Weug and Pulling, as the Alpine racer managed to find a space past.

    Hamda Al Qubaisi was also on a charge at the start and made up a position from fifth, while F1 Academy Wild Card Alisha Palmowski also moved up a spot on her race debut.

    By the start of the third lap, Pin had pulled out a 1.5s gap to Pulling and continued to extend her lead lap by lap, whilst Weug dropped further off the Brit’s tail in third.

    Bustamante had an eventful outing with the McLaren driver finding the gravel on multiple occasions during the race, including at Turn 12 at the start with two big snaps of oversteer.
    She would also bring out some brief yellow flags during the final few laps as she spun out after getting her wheels in the gravel between Turn 4 and 5.

    Meanwhile attentions turned to the front as the race entered its final laps. “You have a four second gap behind so just bring it home” Pulling was told by her Rodin Motorsport team, as Pin drove off into the distance.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Pin, P2: Pulling, P3: Weug, P4: H Al Qubaisi, P5: Palmowski, P6: Block, P7: Edgar, P8: Marti, P9: Nobels and P10: De Heus.

    Day 3-

    Due to extended barrier repairs at the Lusail International Circuit, the race was cancelled.

    As a result, no points will be awarded for the race. However, Doriane Pin will receive the two points for pole position.

  • F1 Academy – RND 6 Day 1

    Free Practice 1-

    Doriane Pin’s dream of keeping her title hopes alive got off to an ideal start as the PREMA Racing star topped the first practice session around Lusail.

    Abbi Pulling of Rodin Motorsport was close behind in second, as the Alpine driver tries to secure the Drivers’ title this race weekend.

    Aurelia Nobels in her ART Grand Prix machine was the first to hit the track, but it wasn’t long before she was joined on track by the MP Motorsport duo of Emely De Heus and Amna Al Qubaisi.

    It was a slow start to the session for Standings’ leader Pulling, who had an issue with her car’s starter motor. The Brit spent the first part of the session in the pit lane but got out on track with just under 20 minutes of the session to go.

    Rodin Motorsport’s Jess Edgar looked comfortable around the Lusail circuit as she went top of the timesheets early and continued to improve over the practice session.
    Hamda Al Qubaisi tried her best to knock her off the top spot, but despite going purple in the first and second sectors, was unable to beat the 1:57.592s benchmark set by Edgar.

    With the track improving, Doriane Pin of PREMA Racing put her Mercedes to the top with a time of 1:56.654s. This would be he quickest time of the session with Pulling getting close to her title rival.

    Free Practice 2-

    Doriane Pin made it two-for-two in the second Free Practice in Lusail, edging ahead of title rival Abbi Pulling at the chequered flag.

    It was a closely-fought session, with the top three separated by only 0.142s as Wild Card driver Alisha Palmowski made her mark in third.

    Driving under the floodlights around the Lusail International Circuit, the field had their eyes on preparing for both tomorrow afternoon’s Qualifying and their first-ever night race.

    Hamda Al Qubaisi was the first to get a time on the board, clocking a 1:58.348 as the initial benchmark. Setting the field’s quickest time yet in Qatar, Standings leader Pulling went top on a 1:56.453, whilst Chloe Chambers slotted into second in the Haas-liveried car.

    The Brit continued to lower the time to beat to a 1:56.038, before Maya Weug eclipsed her effort by 0.019s. Pulling quickly regained the top spot on a 1:55.785, going two tenths clear of the Ferrari driver as Palmowski climbed into the top three.

    Less than seven minutes were left on the clock as the fight for P1 ramped up. Block seized the top spot on a 1:55.517, only for the Williams driver to be immediately beaten by Palmowski’s 1:55.477.

    Pin then went fastest of all on a 1:55.043, whilst Pulling kept in close range of the Mercedes driver, sitting in just six hundredths adrift.
    Entering their final attempts, Palmowski staked her claim on the quickest effort of the day, becoming the first driver to break into the 1:54s and putting her 0.107s ahead of Pin.

    The top spot then shifted into Pin’s hands on a 1:54.914 until Pulling wrestled it away by 0.019s. It appeared to be job done, but Pin wasn’t finished just yet and snatched the fastest lap away from the Alpine driver with a 1:54.794.

  • F3 – RND 6 Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Pole sitter, Stenshorne tried to cover off Mansell from lights out but the Australian was able to get alongside him into Turn 1 to take the lead.
    The Hitech driver tried a re-pass into Turn 3 but was left running off the track, giving Tsolov momentum to take second position into Turn 4, making it an ART 1-2.

    Dino Beganovic was a spinner at Turn 1 falling from inside the top 10 down to 25th. Kacper Sztuka was an early retirement and was stranded on the circuit which required the Safety Car to neutralise things.

    Racing then resumed on lap 5 and Mansell was able to retain the advantage in front. Luke Browning was on the move after his grip penalty left him from starting 15th, going three-wide into Turn 4 to pass Nikita Bedrin and Arvid Lindblad to move into 11th.

    With DRS, Tsolov was able to get alongside Mansell into Turn 4 and rounded the Australian on the outside to take the lead on lap 7.

    Browning moved himself into the points-paying positions at the expense of Tim Tramnitz, moving down the inside at Turn 3 on lap 10 to secure 10th from the MP driver.

    Lap 12, and Fornaroli put a brave move on Bedrin to move up to 14th, passing the AIX Racing driver around the outside of Turn 6.

    Lap 16, was a busy one as Montoya looked to make a move on Alex Dunne at Turn 1, but the MP driver resisted the pressure to hold onto the position.

    Up further ahead, Mansell got a move at Turn 4 to stick on Tsolov, able to take the lead from his ART teammate and remain ahead.
    Gabriele Mini got brave and rounded Oliver Goethe on the outside at Turn 6 to secure sixth position.

    Contact with Trident’s Sami Meguetounif at the end of the lap for Lindblad left the PREMA Racing rookie with a puncture and dropped him out of the points fight.

    On lap 17, the fight for the lead continued with Tsolov getting back through on Mansell at Turn 4, a slow corner exit for the Australian allowed Stenshorne a run through Turn 5, putting the Norwegian up to second.

    The fight for the top five places continued just behind the trio but after a heated battle Montoya made contact with Dunne and was left spinning at Turn 4. The Colombian driver out of his car and ok, but the crash required another Safety Car.

    The Safety Car was withdrawn with one lap to go, setting up a final lap sprint to the finish. Tsolov got the restart he needed to put some distance between himself and Stenshorne, and the Bulgarian earned his second sprint race victory of the year ahead of the Hitech driver.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Stenshorne, P3: Mansell, P4: Dunne, P5: Van Hoepen, P6: Mini, P7: Goethe, P8: Tramnitz, P9: Leon and P10: Meguetounif.

    Day 3-

    Browning launched into a clear lead at the first corner while PREMA Racing teammates Lindblad, Mini and Beganovic followed in second through to fourth as Tim Tramnitz dropped down to seventh.
    Lindblad and Mini battled on the exit of Turn 4 which allowed Beganovic the run into Turn 6 to take third from the Italian.

    That became second for the Swede on lap 2, as he dived down the inside of his teammate into Turn 3. Noel Leon was on the move too further back, taking sixth from Sebastian Montoya as he continued his charge from 13th.

    Lindblad was dropping through the pack on lap 8 after brief contact with Alex Dunne into Turn 3 as the MP Motorsport driver passed Goethe.
    Leon, Dunne and Goethe were able to clear the Brit on the run to Turn 4 to relegate the Red Bull Junior Team driver to seventh.

    Contact at Turn 3 between Mari Boya in the Campos and AIX Racing’s Nikita Bedrin brought out a Virtual Safety Cat on lap 11 while marshals retrieved the latter’s car.

    Back to racing conditions and Goethe was on the attack against Leon for fourth. The slightest of touches resulted in a puncture for the Van Amersfoort Racing driver, ending his charge through the pack and tumbling down the order.

    10 laps to go, everyone behind leader, Browning had DRS down to ninth-placed Tramnitz as the fight for points ebbed and flowed.

    Christian Mansell made his way into sixth position with a pass around the outside of Lindblad at Turn 4 on lap 19.
    That became fourth for the Australian with five laps to go, diving down the inside of Goethe at Turn 4.

    Mini made an attempt on Beganovic for second at Turn 3 on the following lap, but it was Mansell that went surging around the outside of the Italian at the following corner to take third. That was until Mini pulled off his own audacious pass to re-take P3 at Turn 6.

    Onto the penultimate lap and the battling behind allowed Browning to break out of DRS range to Beganovic, who was under attack from teammate Mini at Turn 4, with the Alpine Academy driver securing second a Turn 6.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Browning, P2: Mini, P3: Beganovic, P4: Mansell, P5: Goethe, P6: Tsolov, P7: Lindblad, P8: Vans Hoepen, P9: Fornaroli and P10: Dunne.

  • F3 – RND 6 Day 1

    Practice-

    Jenzer Motorsport’s Charlie Wurz ended up quickest of all in the opening session.
    The Austrian saved his best effort for the final five minutes to go top on a 1:21.182, while Trident’s Santiago Ramos got closest to him, just half a tenth back in second.

    Joshua Dufek set the early pace for AIX Racing, though it was beaten shortly afterwards by ART Grand Prix’s Laurens van Hoepen, as he set a 1:22.409 to lead after 10 minutes of running.

    Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon then moved to the top of the timing screens, lowering the fastest effort to a 1:22.387 to narrowly head up the field. Sami Meguetounif then put Trident in P1, going quicker still onto a 1:22.325.

    After a minor lock-up on his first flying lap, Luke Browning went quickest of all approaching the halfway stage on a 1:21.781. Teammate Martininius Stenshorne made it a one-two for Hitech Pule Eight.

    Fornaroli took back over at the top with 16 minutes to go of the session, lowering the benchmark to a 1:21.663 to lead the way.

    After a lull in action, and return to the pits, cars ventured back out onto the circuit with under 10 minutes to go for the final laps.

    Charlie Wurz for Jenzer Motorsport was the first to go quickest of all, deposing Fornaroli and then going quicker still, putting in a 1:21.182 to go almost half a second quicker than anyone else.

    Santiago Ramos closed the gap down to just 0.054s with under two minutes remaining to go second.

    Qualifying-

    Luke Browning earned his first pole position in FIA Formula 3, opting to run without a tow on the final runs to take the top spot around the Red Bull Ring.

    The Hitech Pulse Eight driver was at the head of the train going into the final few laps and was able to record a 1:20.222 without a slipstream to lead PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad and MP Motorsport driver Tim Tramnitz.

    In the opening stages, Noel Leon set the pace before being deposed by Nikola Tsolov, then Oliver Goethe and finally Gabriele Mini, with the PREMA driver’s 1:21.013 the time to beat.

    The Van Amersfoort Racing driver repositioned himself in P1 with his next effort, just over a tenth quicker than Mini, before the Alpine Academy driver responded to go quickest by just 0.005s.

    A return to the pits and switch to a fresh set of tyres, the field was back out onto the circuit.
    After trying unsuccessfully to not lead the field across the line to gain a tow, Browning led the line for the final flying laps without a slipstream and set a 1:20.222 for provisional pole.

    Lindblad got closest to him, moving into second just 0.048s off that effort, while Tramnitz was another late improvement for MP.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Browning, P2: Lindblad, P3: Tramnitz, P4: Mini, P5: Beganovic, P6: Goethe, P7: Van Hoepen, P8: Montoya, P9: Dunne and P10: Tsolov.

  • F2 – RND 6 Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Maini suffered wheelspin off the line from pole and dropped to fourth while Martins profited to take the lead on the run to the first corner.
    Ritomo Miyata swept around the outside at Turn 1 to go from fourth to second, ahead of Correa and Maini.

    On lap 2 and Maini made a late dive to the inside of Correa at the opening corner to recover one position. Teammate Gabriel Bortoleto followed him through at Turn 4.

    In the battle for seventh, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar fought hard early on, though the Campos Racing driver was unable to find a route through on the PREMA Racing talent.

    By lap 10, Martins was able to escape from DRS range of Miyata behind and led by 1.5s, while the Japanese driver held a 1.1s advantage over Maini in the podium places.

    Antonelli had dropped out of DRS range to Paul Aron ahead and after a long time of trying, Hadjar finally cleared the PREMA driver into Turn 1 on lap 12.

    With 10 laps to go, track limits became a problem for Miyata, and the Rodin driver was assigned a five-second penalty for one too many breaches.
    He earned a second time penalty in his struggle to remain ahead of Maini to bring that total up to 10 second with five laps remaining.

    Further back, Hadjar lost seventh to Crawford as both DAMS cars looked to be taking better care of the tyres than those ahead. Correa was pressuring Bortoleto for the final podium place, but the Brazilian was able to fend him off to maintain position.

    Onto the penultimate lap and a sizeable lock-up into Turn 5 was evidence of how hard Bortoleto was pushing to keep Correa behind. However, it gave the American a run into Turn 10 and after diving to the inside, he claimed fourth on the road.

    Aron was next to clear Bortoleto, rounding the Invicta driver at Turn 3 on the final lap to take P5, as two corners later Crawford followed through to take sixth from him.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Martins, P2: Maini, P3: Aron, P4: Crawford, P5: Bortoleto, P6: Hadjar, P7: Miyata, P8: Correa, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Durksen.

    Day 3-

    Pole sitter Paul Aron got the perfect launch to lead into Turn 1 ahead of Crawford and Colapinto.
    Further back, contact sent Victor Martins and Dennis Hauger spinning into the gravel at Turn 2 leaving both out of the race.

    Isack Hadjar was the biggest winner, moving up from 11th to fifth in the opening half lap prior to the Safety Car deployed for Hauger and Martins’.

    Racing resumed on lap 4 and Aron retained the lead, escaping over a second clear to move out of DRS range to Crawford behind.

    Lap 8 and the hard compound runners began to benefit over those on softs, with Joshua Duersken taking fifth from Hadjar into Turn 1.
    Crawford was in from second at the end of the lap, with Ritomo Miyata and Zak O’Sullivan following the DAMS driver in from inside the top 10.

    Gabriel Bortoleto pitted on lap 11 for Invicta Racing, filtering back out in P14 behind Crawford but with warm tyres, O’Sullivan was able to pass him on the outlap to take the position.

    Leader Aron was called into the pits and Colapinto followed him in on lap 12. The Hitech rejoined ahead of Crawford but with the DAMS driver on his rear wing.
    Through turn 3, the American driver took ninth from Aron, while Colapinto retained position over Bortoleto.

    Duerksen had been the leader and yet to pit on the alternative strategy but on lap 18, he slowed to a half in the middle sector to bring out another Virtual Safety Car.
    His stoppage handed the lead over to Juan Manuel Correa, who was also yet to pit.

    Racing resumed on lap 20, and Colapinto put Bortoleto under immediate pressure, with the Invicta driver getting his elbows out to keep the place.
    Just behind them, Aron got the slipstream to take 10th from O’Sullivan at Turn 2. One lap later and Hadjar eased by the ART driver at Turn 1.

    With 10 laps to go, Correa pitted from the race lead for the soft compound, filtering back out onto the track in P9 just as Aron made a brave dive on Bortoleto into Turn 1 to take fifth.

    As Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Amaury Cordeel pitted, Crawford retook the lead with Colapinto his closest rival for the win 3.6s behind in P2.

    Onto lap 34, and Hadjar desposed Bortoelto for fifth while Invicta teammate Kush Maini gained seventh at the expense of Maloney on the run into Turn 1.

    The Invicta teammate were nose to tail on the final lap and going wheel-to-wheel into the first corner collided with one another, leaving Bortoleto with front wing damage and Maini ahead in sixth.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Crawford, P2: Colapinto, P3: Correa, P4: Aron, P5: Hadjar, P6: Maini, P7: Maloney, P8: Cordeel, P9: Marti and P10: Bortoleto.

  • F2 – RND 6 Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Paul Aron started the Barcelona weekend in good form, topping the Free Practice session for Hitech Pulse-Eight.
    The Estonian set a 1:26.922 to head the pack ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi in the Van Amersfoort Racing car and MP Motorsport’s Franco Colapinto.

    AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen set the initial pace, a 1:27.742 putting him on top early with the majority waiting to venture out onto the circuit.

    That was bettered by Ritomo Miyata in the Rodin Motorsport, lowering the time to beat to a 1:27.639.
    As the clocked ticked to under 30 minutes remaining, the track filled up and the times kept flowing.

    Championship leader, Paul Aron was the first to break into the 1:26s, setting the fastest time of 1:26.922 with just over 20 minutes left of the session.
    Fittipaldi filtered through in second, 0.136s down with Colapinto third for MP.

    Qualifying-

    Paul Aron continued the way he left free practice, setting the fastest time in Qualifying for his maiden Formula 2 pole position in an incredibly close session.

    DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford ended up just 0.002s back in second, with Franco Colapinto third for MP Motorsport, 0.006s behind Aron.

    After ending up fastest in practice, Aron set the first time to beat on a 1:25.385. MP teammates Dennis Hauger and Colapinto filed through in second and third places respectively.

    The red flag was then thrown after AIX Racing’s Taylor Barnard went off at Turn 9 and into the barriers. He was out of the car and ok, but his car needed recovering.

    Running resumed with 23 minutes left on the clock but there were no threats to Aron’s provisional pole time until Isack Hadjar ventured out for his first flying lap.
    The Frenchman put his Campos at the top of the times, setting a 1:25.205.

    PREMA Racing’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli was able to move up to second place, just 0.141s down on Hadjar’s effort.

    After a brief spell of quiet in the pitlane, everyone was fitted with fresh soft tyres and took to the track once again with under 10 minutes to go.

    Aron was able to find further improvements to retake the top spot with a 1:24.766 before Ritomo Miyata put himself up to P2 for Rodin, 0.182s behind.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Aron, P2: Crawford, P3: Colapinto, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Antonelli, P6: Miyata, P7: Durksen, P8: Correa, P9: Martins and P10: Maini.

  • RW 6 – Miami

    WOW… What a race we had in Miami for Round 6 out of 24! We had a first time winner in F1, and some drama along the way, so let’s take a look at it…

    McLaren driver, Lando Norris has now added his name to the list of Formula 1 race WINNERS with a sensational driver for victory in Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.

    Joining him in the top three is Max Verstappen in 2nd, and in third is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc!

    Norris ran sixth in the early stages of the race, with fast-starting team mate Oscar Piastri the McLaren man who initially looked most likely to cause an upset, however… A safety car at the midway point played perfectly into the Briton’s hands after he extended his opening stint.
    Norris emerged from the pits in the lead, with Verstappen in second after stopping under normal racing conditions, and despite an initial attack from the latter at the restart.
    A cool, calm and collected performance thereafter and balance problems for Verstappen, meant there was no stopping Norris.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Perez, P5: Sainz, P6: Hamilton, P7: Tsunoda, P8: Russell, P9: Alonso and P10: Ocon.

    What a result for Mr Lando Norris… I honestly can’t believe it and I bet he can’t either!! Lando had a lovely drive, he kept it cool and calm. I’m so happy for him and the team.
    His teammate, was doing so well, he was running in P2 for a while at the beginning of the race, until he had a collision with Carlos Sainz where he needed to pit for a new front wing which saw the Australian drop all the way down to the bottom of the grid.

    A decent result for Red Bull, obviously Max in P2 and Checo in P4, a nice points haul for the team and keeping their lead in the constructors!

    Ferrari had a very good result aswell, P3 for Leclerc and P5 for Sainz the team will be happy with that result aswell.

    Esteban Ocon has scored his first point this season which is also Alpine’s first point this season as well! It’s just what the team needs, which hopefully will set them onto a better path.

    An unlucky driver was Logan Sargeant, Magnussen was attempting a move on Sargeant through the Turn 2 flick, where contact sent the American into the barriers and the Dane back to the pits for repairs, with the American sustaining terminal damage upon impact which was a disappointing end to the first of three home Grand Prix he is set to take part in.
    Magnussen got given a 10 second time penalty for the clash.

    Now we have a little wait till the next race, we head to Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix which is round 7, on the weekend of 17th to 19th May.

  • RW 6 – Miami Qualifying

    Max Verstappen has claimed his seventh consecutive pole position by taking P1 on the grid for the Miami Grand Prix, despite failing to improve during his final flying lap.

    The Dutchman had provisionally put himself into pole in the first runs of Q3 having set a time of 1m 27.241s and this proved to be enough to maintain the position. Charles Leclerc will join the red bull driver on the front row, with his teammate Carlos Sainz rounding out the top three.

    The full top 10 is – P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez, P5: Norris, P6: Piastri, P7: Russell, P8: Hamilton, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Tsunoda.

    A good result for Max once again, it was just a copy and paste for him! Perez one position down than compared to sprint qualifying, but it’s not the end of the world for the Mexican.

    A very good result from Ferrari, I can see them challenging for the win as they have had quite good pace this weekend. If not they will want to try their hand at a double podium.

    A good result from McLaren P5 and P6, Lando will be wanting to make up for a disappointing sprint where he DNF’ed. The McLaren’s have brought some upgrades this weekend and they seem to be working, so they have got pace this weekend which could see some potential for a podium…

    A much better result for Mercedes, both cars in the top 10, P7 for Russell and P8 for Hamilton. They will be wanting to capitalise on that as much as they can.

    Hulkenberg and Tsunoda had a good qualifying both in the top 10, both drivers will be wanting to score once again in the race.

    A bit of a shocker qualifying for Aston Martin. Both drivers not in the top 10, Stroll starts P11, which is okay but his in the middle of the pack which isn’t the best place. And Alonso starts P15 which is not good at all.

    Ricciardo had a bit of a bad qualifying, a bit of a different one to the sprint qualifying… He starts P18, he needs to have a really good drive and do some lovely overtakes to make up for the qualifying position.

  • RW 6 – Miami Sprint Race

    Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory during Saturday’s Sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, leading home Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc and Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez at the end of an action packed encounter.

    The Dutchman defended his lead at the start and overcame an early Safety Car before building up a comfortable advantage at the head of the field.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Ricciardo, P5: Sainz, P6: Piastri, P7: Hulkenberg, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Gasly and P10: Sargeant.

    A great result for Red Bull as usual! It’s not surprising at all, especially Perez he is being really consistent at the moment.

    A nice result from Ferrari, P2 and P5, some more points on the board which will mean everything when it comes to the closing stages of the season!

    Now, we are talking about him again. Mr Daniel Ricciardo, P4! It was looking like P3 at one point during the Sprint but P4 is a very good result for the Aussie and the team. And for his teammate got in the points aswell, so double points!

    A nice result from Piastri, a few points on the board for the team. Not a very good race for Norris, he was involved in a lap one incident where he was tipped into a spin at the first corner, where he had terminal damage after contact between Hamilton, Alonso and Stroll.

    Not a very good sprint for both Mercedes, which was partly due to a bad qualifying but the race wasn’t much better. Hamilton was obviously involved in the lap 1 incident. And Russell ended up dropping back at the start and then had a few troubles getting past other drivers.

    Hulkenberg in P7 aswell, a great result for Haas and a couple points for the team in their home grand prix. His teammate, Kevin Magnussen played a big part in this, helping to stop other drivers come past so his teammate can score some points.

  • RW 6 – Miami Sprint Qualifying

    Max Verstappen will be starting from pole for the Sprint in Miami after storming to P1, while an earlier challenge from McLaren seemed to fall away.

    With every driver opting for just one flying lap in SQ3, Verstappen went quickest of all with a 1m 27.641s. The Red Bull driver will be joined on the front row by Leclerc, who was only 0.108s away. Rounding out the top three is Sergio Perez.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Ricciardo, P5: Sainz, P6: Piastri, P7: Stroll, P8: Alonso, P9: Norris and P10: Hulkenberg.

    A great result from Red Bull both drivers, Max on pole, even though he didn’t have a very good lap… and also a very good performance from Perez aswell.

    A very good result from Leclerc, P2 especially after him not running in FP1 as he caused a red flag to recover his Ferrari after getting stuck on the track. So considering not much running for the Monegasque its a decent result.

    Now the standout for me, Mr Daniel Ricciardo, P4!! In an RB aswell, he will be wanting to capitalise on this result as much as he can. And the team will be wanting him to do that aswell. But this is what the Australian driver needed to prove he deserves a seat next season whether its in the Red Bull or the RB car…

    A decent result for Aston Martin both cars in the top 10, just what the team wants, but especially for Lance Stroll, whose had some up and down performances.

    A shock in sprint qualifying was both Mercedes out in SQ2, not at all what the team wants. They had some decent pace in free practice and made a few little changes but they were not the right ones clearly. They have three more chances this weekend so hopefully something will go right.

  • RW 6 – Tyre Selection

    The Miami Grand Prix is the sixth round of the season and the first of three to be held in the United States of America.
    The temporary street circuit flows around the Hard Rock Stadium, a multipurpose venue which is home to the Miami Dolphins.

    The 5.412 kilometre long track, which the drivers will tackle 57 times on Sunday, which features 19 corners, three straights, three DRS zones and top speeds can exceed 340 km/h.
    There are some elevation changes, the main one being between turns 13 and 16, with the track rising and falling as it goes over an exit ramp and under various overpasses.

    The three sectors are each different in character, making for a lap which has a bit of everything. The first boasts a run of eight high speed corners, while the second sector has a long straight and a few low speed turns. The final run to the finish line consists of a straight and three flowing corners.

    The three dry tyre compounds chosen by Pirelli are: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft). The track was resurfaced before last year’s race and is very smooth, therefore offering quite low grip.
    This leads to a very significant track evolution and graining could put in appearance, particularly with the medium and soft tyres.

    In terms of strategy, the Miami Grand Prixx is a classic one-stop race, with hard and medium compounds the outright favourites. Last year, Verstappen started from ninth on the grid on Hard tyres before switching ti Mediums, while the other two drivers who made it to the podium, Perez and Alonso, went the other way (medium then hard).

    This is also the second sprint of the year, therefore with only one hour of free practice the teams and drivers have to find the best set-up as well as evaluating tyre behaviour.

  • RND 6 – Misano E-Prix

    FP1-

    The DS PENSKE duo of Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne dominated the timesheets in first and second positions during the championship’s first visit to Misano.

    After lending out their cars for the Rookie Free Practice earlier in the afternoon our Season 10 grid made their way out onto the Misano circuit for their first in-car experience of the weekend.

    The session was filled with drivers exploring the limits, as they prepare for the double-header of Round 6 and 7.
    But there was troubles down at Mahindra Racing which saw home hero, Edoardo Mortara unable to set a single lap. With Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther facing problems during the first practice aswell.

    FP2-

    DS Penske’s Jean-Eric Vergne made it two for two, topping the second Free Practice session of the weekend in Misano. The two-time Formula E Champion went quicker than his time in FP1, setting a benchmark of 1:17.482.

    NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes finished just 0.020s behind Vergne to claim second, with Sebastien Buemi in third.

    The session was impacted by a red flag for the ERT of Sergio Sette Camara who came to a stop on track. Not only this, it ended with a big incident for championship contender Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing.
    Cassidy ran off the track, through a gravel trap and ended his session in a tyre barrier to avoid the NEOM McLaren of Sam Bird.

    Track limits have been a popular topic of discussion this weekend, with 24 lap times being deleted over yesterday’s first free practice. One driver who appears to be finding it tough is Reigning World Champion Jake Dennis, the Andretti driver had eight track limit violations yesterday, and things didn’t look better this morning.

    Qualifying-

    Jean-Eric Vergne continued his strong run of form, as he topped another session in Misano. Joining JEV in the Duels was the TAG Heuer Porsche Pascal Wehrlein who ended the session second, with Oliver Rowland and Maximilian Guenther being the fastest four in the group.

    In Group B, with NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes going quickest of 11 drivers. Hughes has experience racing round Misano in junior categories, and was 0.163s ahead of Mitch Evans in second.
    Hughes’ teammate Sam Bird also flew into the Duels in third and ABT CUPRA’s Nico Mueller making it to the Duels, a third consecutive appearance.

    First up in the quarters was Nissan’s Oliver Rowland and Tag Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. Rowland has taken pole on both occasions he has reached the Duels stage this year. But it was Wehrlein who managed to finish ahead, with Rowland making a few small mistakes on his way to missing out on the Semi’s.
    Next it was Vergne and Guenther, with JEV continuing his streak of topping every session of the weekend, which continued as Guenther made an error on his lap.

    But it was Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans who scored pole, which is his seventh Julius Baer Pole Position, in which he took on the DS PENSKE of Jean-Eric Vergne in an intense finale.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Evans, P2: Vergne, P3: Wehrlein, P4: Muller, P5: Rowland, P6: Bird, P7: Guenther, P8: Cassidy, P9: Frijns and P10: Buemi.

    Round 6-

    Antonio Felix da Costa qualified 13th and timed his push to perfection to take the race lead for the definitive time with three laps to go, from form man Oliver Rowland.
    From there, he was able to hold off the advances of Rowland to the chequered flag while Reigning Champion Jake Dennis clambered from a lowly 17th on the grid to complete the podium.

    As early as Lap 5, da Costa had made his way through the tightest of pack – with all 22 cars split by less than five seconds for much of the encounter – to the podium positions, trailing teammate Wehrlein on Lap 5.

    At a circuit like Misano, energy was always going to be on the drivers’ and engineers’ minds with cars starting the encounter with between 60 and 70% of the usable energy needed to finish the race – the rest recovered by regenerative braking.

    The concertinaing field always looked like it would catch driver out, as five wide through Turn 1 proving too much to handle with an early leader in Sam Bird, Nick Cassidy and Wehrlein among those suffering damage – race ending damage for the former pair.

    With eight laps remaining, Da Costa inherited the lead again but Rowland wouldn’t back off – as the Nissan driver jumped the Porsche on lap 23 for P1.
    From there, the race was a straight contest to the finish with drivers bolting for the chequered flag – energy calculations measured to the tenth of a percentage point opening up a flat out finish.
    On the outside of Turn 5, with three laps to go, da Costa swooped by Rowland for first while Jean-Eric Vergne, Dennis and Guenther battled in behind.

    It was Da Costa who led Rowland home for his first win of the season, and Jake Dennis pipped Vergne for third.

    However, Formula E isn’t Formula E without someone being penalised… Antonio Felix da Costa has been disqualified from the Misano E-Prix Round 6 as the throttle damper spring on his car was not found in conformity with one of the three optional declared items.

    As a result, the cars beneath da Costa in the original race classification move up a slot, meaning Nissan’s Oliver Rowland inherits the race win.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Rowland, P2: Dennis, P3: Guenther, P4: Ticktum, P5: Evans, P6: Vergne, P7: Nato, P8: Vandoorne, P9: Fenestraz and P10: Di Grassi.

  • F3 – RND 6 – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Gabriel Bortoleto hit the ground running in Spielberg, setting the track record with a 1:19.410 to top the free practice session for Trident.

    The Brazilian driver was 0.148s quicker than Jenzer Motorsport’s Taylor Barnad, while Gabriele Mini left it late to take third for Hitech Pulse-Eight.

    Once the tyre preparation laps were complete, Paul Aron set the initial benchmark to beat with a 1:21.998 on his first effort. The Estonian’s 1:21.205 was three-tenths quicker than PREMA Racing teammate Dino Beganovic, who had a heart-in-mouth moment shortly after.

    With just over 16 minutes remaining the red flags were out after Sebastian Montoya beached his Hitech car in the gravel trap on the outside of Turn 7.

    Once the session resumed with 12 minutes remaining, everyone returned to the track. ART Grand Prix’s Saucy was the first in the queue with prime track position and set a 1:20.306 for the rest to beat.

    Qualifying-

    ART Grand Prix’s Gregoire Saucy secured his first Formula 3 pole position in Spielberg after a dramatic qualifying session around the Red Bull Ring. PREMA Racing’s Paul Aron had ended the session fastest of all but dropped to P4 after exceeding track limits.

    His demotion moved Saucy up into P1 and PREMA teammate Dino Beganovic onto the front row. While Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto secured third place in his Trudent.

    With patches of rain on the weather radars, everyone was out immediately at the green light. Caio Collet led the way as the rest jostled for Track position and the Van Amersfoort driver set the first time to beat.

    With 15 minutes gone, Beganovic headed up Aron, Gabriel Bortoleto, Josep Maria Marti and Gabriele Mini in the top five. After everyone returned to the pits to fit a fresh set of the soft Pirelli tyres, the track was busy once again with under 10 minutes remaining.

    There were improvements throughout the field, but nobody could leap ahead of either PREMA driver prior to the final two minutes of the session.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Saucy, P2: Beganovic, P3: Bortoleto, P4: Aron, P5: Collet, P6: O’Sullivan, P7: Colapinto, P8: Goethe, P9: Frederick and P10: Mansell.

  • F2 – RND 6 – Day 1 & 2

    Day 1-

    Ayumu Iwasa ended a frantic Free Practice session fastest of all as the DAMS man set a 1:22.081 to lead the grid. The Japanese driver got his best lap in prior to the third Red Flag of the incident session.

    Next to him was Victor Martins for ART Grand Prix, whilst Richard Verschoor ended up third for Van Amersfoort Racing but found himself in the barriers in the closing minutes.

    The first Red Flag came early into the session, as we saw contact between Ralph Boschung and Roman Stanek, with both cars having to be recovered.

    The second Red Flag of the session came out with just over 20 minutes remaining after Bearman lost the rear of his PREMA at Turn 8 and nosed into the barriers.

    Day 2-

    With Monte Carlo Qualifying split into two groups of 11, the random ballot allocated the even numbered cars into Group A and odd numbered cars going second in Group B.

    The first 16 minute segment began with several warm-up laps but it was Victor Martins who set the initial benchmark. But it didn’t stay that way for long as Richard Verschoor was next to hit the top spot just before a red flag was waved due to home-hero Arthur Leclerc who tagged the barriers and saw him out of the session.

    With a 1:21.231 to beat, group B headed out for their turn and Dennis Hauger laid down the first effort. His 1:22.979 was bettered by several, but it was Theo Pourchaire who went quickest overall.

    Plenty of personal bests followed but the ART Grand Prix man remained on top with a 1:21.354 ahead of Zane Maloney and Frederik Vesti by a tenth with less than five minutes to go.

    The Dane put in three purple sectors on his following attempt to go top with a 1:21.053 ensuring Group B was fighting for pole. It was enough for pole as on the final attempts, Clement Novalak hit the barriers at Portier to bring out the Red Flags, ending the session early.

  • F1 cancels Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix

    Formula 1, the FIA and organisers of the 2023 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix have agreed to cancel the race which was scheduled for this weekend, due to severe flooding in the Italian region.

    The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities is the region. It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.

    F1 instructed paddock personnel setting up garages and hospitality units to leave the circuit on Tuesday afternoon as a precaution amid a threat of flooding from the adjacent Santerno river.

    They were also instructed not to return to the venue at all on Wednesday. Meanwhile, some teams opted to relocated staff members to different hotels.

    Italian deputy prime minister and transport minister, Matteo Salvini had called to postpone the race in order to “dedicate ourselves to relief work”. It is thought very unlikely that the Emilia Romagna GP will be rescheduled for later in the year due to the congested calendar.

    It means the schedule for 2023 has been reduced by two rounds following the widely expected cancellation for the Chinese GP, which was set for 16th April but lost due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in the country, which created the four week gap between the Australian and Azerbaijan rounds.

    It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the flooding and the families and communities affected. I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the incredible emergency services who are working tirelessly to help those who need help and alleviate the situation – they are heroes and the whole of Italy is proud of them. The decision that has been taken is the right one for everyone in the local communities and the F1 family as we need to ensure safety and not create extra burden for the authorities while they deal with this very awful situation.

    Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.