FIA F3 Championship, Spa-Francorchamps, Race One Report
In Race 1 held at the venue in the Ardennes, Team Trident achieved outstanding results, scoring a win with Lirim Zendeli and a third place with David Beckmann. Olli Caldwell delivered a positive run in seventh place to confirm the great form of the team.
In the opening race of round 7 of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, scheduled on the historic track of Spa-Francorchamps, the Trident drivers put up an excellent pace and the team scored the win with Lirim Zendeli and P3 with David Beckmann. Olli Caldwell also delivered a remarkable result at the end of a solid Race 1 and will be able to fight at the top of race 2 tomorrow. After taking his first pole position in the series, Zendeli took off perfectly at the start and quickly gained a margin that allowed him to stay away from closest rivals. He then sailed towards his first win in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, keeping the lead in perfect fashion despite not benefitting from any slipstream. Beckmann's performance today was excellent too as he fought back from the fifth position on the starting grid to third place at the end. For the 20-year-old from Iserlohn, it is the fifth podium of the season, which allows him to move back to third place in the championship ranking. Caldwell also delivered a positive race. After barely missing out on the top-10 in qualifying, the British race climbed up to the seventh position. The 18-year-old Briton was back to the points, ending a drought started after Spielberg. The Team Trident drivers, as well as their technical staff, are already preparing for Race 2, scheduled for tomorrow at 9:45 am.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager:
“It was a fantastic race and we are extremely satisfied for today's result, and for having managed, on one of the most demanding circuits of the season, to take victory with Zendeli and third position with Beckmann. Zendeli was masterful in remaining in control of the race without benefitting from slipstreams, while Beckmann confirmed his excellent form with another great performance. Team Trident's winning tradition on the Ardennes track has been respected! We are also super happy for Caldwell's race. He ended up seventh and scored important points for the team. He will be able to fight at the top tomorrow. I have to thank the team a lot because we are working incredibly hard. We did not suffer from any reliability issues. Today's result gives us great motivation and pays off an incredible amount of work! "