FIA F.3 Championship, Monte Carlo, Sprint Race Report
Trident Motorsport, Leonardo Fornaroli start Monte Carlo weekend with second-place finish
The FIA Formula 3 Championship is back in action after a few years of absence at the Monte Carlo street circuit, and the drivers took part in the Sprint Race today, while the Feature Race, the main one, is scheduled for tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. local time, before the Formula 1 Grand Prix. The qualifying session was divided into two groups due to the grid size. Nevertheless, there were still traffic situations that impeded several drivers.
Trident Motorsport took fifth place with Leonardo Fornaroli and ninth place with Oliver Goethe in the first group, while Gabriel Bortoleto set the fourth-fastest time in the second. The Sprint Race, which is contested with the inversion of the first 12 positions on the grid, saw Fornaroli start from the second spot on the grid, while Bortoleto and Goethe lined up from P5 and P17, respectively.
In the early stages, Goethe was involved in two collisions that slowed his pace and prevented him from fighting for the points zone. The first collision, which occurred at the opening corner, cost the 18-year-old Dane a ten-second penalty. Championship leader Bortoleto experienced a linear race, which saw him start and finish in sixth place. Fornaroli capitalized on his position on the front row and defended well until the 23rd and final lap of the race. For the Italian Trident Motorsport driver, this was the first podium in the category, well deserved because it came at the end of a perfect race on a treacherous track. Thanks to Fornaroli's second place and Bortoleto's P6, Trident Motorsport strengthened its leadership in the Team ranking, where it now has a 43-point margin over the closest rival.
Bortoleto, on the other hand, leads the Driver ranking, 1 point ahead of the chasing pack. P2 on Monegasque soil allows Leonardo Fornaroli to climb up to the fourth place. Now the Trident Motorsport drivers will analyze the data collected with their technical staff in the usual preparation work for the Feature Race, which will wrap up the third round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship season.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager, Sprint Race quote:
"Bortoleto and Fornaroli put up a smart race. They brought valuable points to the team on a very treacherous track, where it is virtually impossible to overtake. The Brazilian started and finished in sixth place, strengthening his championship lead. For Fornaroli, on the other hand, it is the first podium in the series. We are very pleased that he got so quickly among the leading pack in such a hyper-competitive category such as Formula 3, and took the podium on one of the most iconic and challenging tracks of the season. Goethe, on the other hand, tried to recover, but was involved in two contacts. The first, which occurred at the first corner, cost our driver ten seconds of penalty."