Qualifying
ART Grand Prix and their three drivers had a good strategy, to be on track at the best time, manage traffic of 30 cars and warm up the tires. Christian and Niko put in ideal laps, with the Australian taking pole position 0.039 second ahead of his teammate, who finished 3rd quickest.
Leading qualifying after the first flying laps, Laurens was unable to improve very much in the final minutes, but still secured a spot in the top 10 (8th).
Sprint Race
Trapped in a pack of several cars that closed in on him, Nikola lost momentum and dropped to 18th place at the start of the second lap before climbing back up to finish in P13.
Starting 12th, Christian moved up one place overall after numerous battles in the midfield.
Laurens finished in the same position he started, 5th.
Feature Race
Christian led the first two laps before slowing down to limit tire degradation and secured his third podium finish of the year in second place.
Nikola had a similar race to Christian, with severe tire degradation towards the end, which saw him drop from 3rd to 6th place.
Laurens managed his tires in the early laps and was eyeing the top 6 when an opponent hit him from behind, causing a puncture and forcing his retirement.
Christian Mansell:
“Being the poleman for the 100th F3 qualifying is a stat that I like! I would have loved to follow up with my first victory, but no matter how hard I pushed, Lindblad was faster. We are getting closer to the top step of the podium thanks to ART Grand Prix’s fantastic work, and it’s very motivating. We still need to figure out how to get the most out of the medium tires, as that’s our weak point, but in Spain, we optimized our package and can be happy with what we achieved in both qualifying and the race.”
Sébastien Philippe:
“The weekend is very positive overall with a good level of performance on a very demanding track for the tires. It was essential to have a good read on the traffic and track position, and we made good progress in qualifying, which was one of our primary goals. In the race, we still need to find a bit more performance and consistency, but we are on the right track. Individually, Christian, Niko, and Laurens have a great attitude, and by achieving the best possible results, they allow the team to close within 21 points of 2nd place in the championship.”
Copyright : Formula Motorsport Limited
