Fornaroli keeps Championship lead as Meguetounif fights back to P10
The FIA Formula 3 Championship got back on track on the ups and downs of the Red Bull Ring, home to the sixth round of the 2024 series this weekend. In a very close qualifying session, the Trident Motorsport drivers did not shine. Leonardo Fornaroli had his best lap times canceled due to track limit violations and was forced to start from P24 on the grid. Santiago Ramos was 14th, with Sami Meguetounif two spots back. Due to heavy traffic, both of them could not pull a flying lap in the key moment of the session.
At the start, a contact caused a safety car situation, with Meguetounif in P16 and Fornaroli three spots back, while Ramos was forced to return to the pit lane for a check and to remove grass from his side pods and wings. At the restart on lap 5, Fornaroli quickly gained three positions, while Meguetounif held onto P14 and Ramos returned to the track in P17.
Meanwhile, Fornaroli continued to deliver a solid comeback, although the Italian was pushed off by a competitor, losing time. Another safety-car situation prevented the Piacenza native from improving further.
Despite a damaged front wing, Meguetounif climbed up to P10, while Ramos finished in the 24th position, far from the points zone. Despite finishing outside the top 10, Fornaroli did not relinquish the lead of the Driver Championship and still has a five-point advantage over his closest contender. Trident Motorsport, however, dropped to third place in the Team Championship, having scored only one point in today's Race.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager, Sprint Race Quote:“The result of yesterday's qualifying session certainly had a negative impact on today's Sprint Race. Our drivers had to put up comeback runs, facing the risks involved with starting in the middle of the pack. Despite a damaged wing, Meguetounif climbed up to P10, while the solid recovery of Leonardo Fornaroli, who showed great overtaking moves, stopped two positions away from the points zone. Despite being pushed off at one point, he showed a convincing pace and is still leading the Driver Championship. Having to go back to the pits to remove debris prevented Santiago Ramos, our best-placed driver in qualifying, from fighting for the points zone. We are now aiming for a more favorable result in tomorrow's Feature Race, but it won't be easy considering that, once again, our drivers will not start from the front rows."