FIA F.3 Championship, Monte Carlo, Race Preview
After claiming a double win in the feature races of Sakhir and Melbourne, Trident Motorsport won’t let the guard down in the upcoming round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The team is looking forward to starting from scratch at Monte Carlo, with the goal to stay at the top of the series in front of the crowd of the Principality.
The FIA Formula 3 Championship will be running at the short and challenging street circuit of Monte Carlo this weekend for the third round of the season. Trident Motorsport is set for the first European race of the year with the wins achieved in the two opening rounds of the season at Sakhir and Melbourne in the bag, and the first position in the Team and Driver standings.
However, the convincing start did not take the team's determination and focus away. Everyone is aware that the tough part only begins now and the aim is to achieve the best possible results there.
The winner of the two Feature Races held this season, 18-year-old Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, lands in Monte Carlo 20 points clear of his closest rival. It is a solid margin, and Bortoleto, who knows the Principality track well, having already raced there twice, hopes to make his lead even more solid.
Oliver Goethe is back for the third round on the calendar with P6 in points. The 18-year-old Dane, who was second in Bahrain on his debut, was forced into the pits by a puncture in Melbourne. However, he is only five points behind third place in standings. He looks to recover the ground lost in Australia with a high-level performance, in line with his potential.
The same goes for the 18-year-old Italian Leonardo Fornaroli, who is ninth in the championship and came close to the podium with a fourth place in Melbourne's Feature Race.
With three drivers in the top ten, and the reign firmly in the hands of Bortoleto, Trident Motorsport is holding the lead of the team classification, 30 points ahead of the closer competitor.
Preparations for the Monte Carlo race included a double test session in Barcelona and Imola. On both occasions, Trident Motorsport did a lot of valuable work with its drivers, setting the fastest lap time on the Romagna track. It is now time for the spotlights to be set on the exclusive Monte Carlo track. Once again, it will be the quality of the work carried out, together with the outstanding attention to detail, that will make the difference.
Giacomo Ricci, team Manager: "We are extremely satisfied with how the new season started, but we are well aware that we cannot afford any distractions if we want to confirm ourselves in Monte Carlo, a very demanding city track that offers no room for mistake. We are well aware that the difficult comes now in the decisive central phase of the season. We will line up on a track that welcomes Formula 3 again after a few years of absence, aware that it is only the quality of the work done over the weekend that will make the difference. We have prepared the Monte Carlo race with the utmost care, without omitting any detail. Now, the goal is to reap the dividends of our hard work in front of the Monaco audience."
The FIA Formula 3 Championship will go underway on Thursday at 13:30 for the 45-minute practice session. Qualifying will go underway Friday at 11:10, with the field split in two groups. The Sprint Race will be on Saturday at 11, while the Feature Race will start Sunday at 8 AM. Live coverage will be provided by the Sky Sport network.