F3: Ernesto Rivera won the sprint in Austria
Mexican driver Ernesto Rivera from Campos Racing won the Formula 3 sprint race in Austria on Saturday. He was joined on the podium by Pedro Clero and Jean Nakamura.
On Saturday morning, it was sunny and hot in Spielberg – by the start of the race at 10:05 local time, the air temperature had warmed up to +25°C, and the asphalt temperature was +37°C.
Starting from pole position, James Wharton confidently maintained his lead, while Pedro Clero climbed to third place in a battle with Ernesto Rivera, but then dropped back to fourth, allowing not only Rivera but also Jean Nakamura to pass.
Freddie Slater had a rough start to the race – exiting the first corner, Noi Stromsted hit the rear right wheel of his Trident teammate's car, breaking its suspension. The safety car was deployed. The stewards deemed the collision a racing incident.
The restart was given on the fourth lap of twenty-one and went smoothly. Wharton immediately tried to create a gap from the pack and set the fastest lap.
On the sixth lap, Fionn McLaughlin and Enzo Deligny collided in the third corner – as a result, a significant part of McLaughlin's front wing flew off, and the virtual safety car was activated for a short time to allow marshals to clear the debris from the track.
After the race resumed, Louis Sharp set the fastest lap, which remained with the Prema driver until the finish.
On the eleventh lap, Rivera reduced the gap to Wharton and made his first attempt to attack in the third corner. There was light contact between the cars, and Wharton maintained his lead.
Rivera continued to pressure the Prema driver, and on the fourteenth lap, he overtook Wharton under braking in the fourth corner and took the lead. Behind them, Clero was actively pressuring Nakamura in the battle for third place, but the Hitech driver defended well.
On the nineteenth lap, Stromsted overtook Tuukka Taponen in the fight for sixth place. On the next lap, Yuhyeon Shin received a five-second penalty from the stewards for a false start. McLaughlin received a similar penalty for the same violation.
On the last lap, Clero attacked Nakamura in the third corner and moved into third place. Pedro did not stop there and, on the acceleration before the fourth corner, overtook Wharton, rising to second position. Wharton's troubles did not end there – in the fourth corner, Nakamura also passed him.
Ernesto Rivera, who made his Formula 3 debut at the Monaco round, secured his first career victory. Pedro Clero finished on the podium for the second time, but for the first time in second place. For Jean Nakamura, third place marked his best career result.
Of the top five in the personal standings – Hugo Ugochukwu, Théophile Naël, Bruno del Pino, Freddie Slater, and Brando Badoer – only Hugo finished in the top ten, earning one point.
Driver
Team
Laps
1. E.Rivera
Campos Racing
21
2. P.Clero
Rodin Motorsport
21
3. J.Nakamura
Hitech
21
4. J.Wharton
Prema Racing
21
5. N.Stromsted
Trident
21
6. K.Li
ART Grand Prix
21
7. T.Taponen
MP Motorsport
21
8. T.Kato
ART Grand Prix
21
9. H.Yamakoshi
Van Amersfoort Racing
21
10. U.Ugochukwu
Campos Racing
21
11. B.del Pino
Van Amersfoort Racing
21
12. A.Giusti
MP Motorsport
21
13. N.Lacorte
DAMS Lucas Oil
21
14. M.Gladys
ART Grand Prix
21
15. L.Sharp
Prema Racing
21
16. T.Naël
Campos Racing
21
17. J.Si
DAMS Lucas Oil
21
18. M.Kolnagi
MP Motorsport
21
19. M.De Palo
Trident
21
20. E.David
AIX Racing
21
21. E.Deligny
Van Amersfoort Racing
21
22. H.Garfias
Prema Racing
21
23. B.Badoer
Rodin Motorsport
21
24. K.Ho
Rodin Motorsport
21
25. F.Barrichello
AIX Racing
21
26. N.Bhirombhakdi
DAMS Lucas Oil
21
27. U.Shin
Hitech
21
28. S.Hanna
AIX Racing
21
29. F.McLaughlin
Hitech
21
-. F.Slater
Trident
0
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F3: Ernesto Rivera won the sprint in Austria
Mexican driver of Campos Racing, Ernesto Rivera, won the Formula 3 sprint race in Austria on Saturday.