Austria F3: Vesti boosts title push with first win of 2021
Frederik Vesti took victory in FIA Formula 3 at the Red Bull Ring, passing polesitter Dennis Hauger for his first win of the season.
The ART Grand Prix driver, who started second, took the lead at the halfway mark before crossing the chequered flag ahead of Hauger, driving for Prema.
Hauger’s team-mate Olli Caldwell completed the podium, with Vesti’s team-mate Alexander Smolyar in fourth.
HWA Racelab’s Matteo Nannini finished fifth, with Hitech Grand Prix’s Ayuma Iwasa in sixth, having started 19th.
Caio Collet struggled to get his MP Motorsport car off the grid after stalling, pushing him to the back of the grid, but Hauger managed to get a clean start.
But Vesti had made up the difference by lap five, taking the lead with DRS after having crept towards Hauger in the lead over the previous laps.
Caldwell overtook MP Motorsport’s Victor Martins on lap six, before his team-mate Arthur Leclerc did the same.
Smolyar took second on the seventh lap, while Caldwell and Leclerc passed Jak Crawford (Hitech Grand Prix) up into fifth and sixth respectively.
Smolyar briefly took the lead on lap 11 ahead of Vesti while Hauger took second.
On lap 14, Leclerc and Martins collided, with Leclerc clattering across the gravel before coming to a halt, prompting a safety car, with Trident’s Clement Novalak also taken out.
Caldwell was on the back of Smolyar by lap 21 before managing to take second.
There was contact between Crawford and Jack Doohan (Trident) the following lap, pushing the latter down the standings before both were forced to pit with damage.
Caldwell passed Hauger on the final lap before Hauger managed to take back the position.
Collet finished seventh, having made up 23 places after being dropped to the back of the grid at the start of the race.
F3 returns for round four at the Hungaroring from 30 July - 1 August.
Austria F3 - Race 3 results
Related video
Previous article
Austria F3: Hand injury forces Kaylen Frederick to withdraw
Next article
Prema unites with Iron Lynx to form Italian superteam
How the latest 'son of' youngster found his feet in F3
After a promising start to his single-seater racing career, life in the Formula 1 feeder series gave Jack Doohan a reality check. But, following a year of learning and toiling, the driver with one of the most famous surnames on the Formula 3 grid isn’t feeling the weight of expectation pushing down too hard on him any longer
The Monaco win that started another triple crown
30 years ago, victory in the Monaco Grand Prix-supporting Formula 3 race – then a showpiece invitational event – began a young Jorg Muller’s pursuit of a unique set of street circuit wins that he’d later complete at Macau and Pau
How two F3 stars face new challenges from very different perspectives
ART Grand Prix team-mates Frederik Vesti and Juan Manuel Correa's paths to the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship grid couldn’t have been further apart, but both are using the same focus for different goals
Why Correa's return is the feelgood story racing needed
Juan Manuel Correa has had a long road to recovery from that horrific day at Spa in 2019. ART's decision to give him his race return in FIA Formula 3 in 2021 is a victory in itself, but his determination will surely - in time - have him fighting for bigger things
Why Piastri's F3 title was better than results suggested
F3 rookie Oscar Piastri only just snatched the 2020 title with Prema Racing, but the setbacks he overcame to do so suggest that Renault's next Australian talent is one destined for the top
The ground-effect wonder behind a generation of F1 stars
Recently named as Autosport's greatest single-seater, Ralt's RT3 launched a plethora of superstar drivers through the early 1980s, and established the constructor as the go-to place for your single-seater weapon
The Macau GP's greatest moments
Coronavirus restrictions mean this weekend's Macau GP will have a very different feel, with the usual F3 jamboree replaced by Chinese F4. But in past years, the event has provided some seminal moments in the careers of future world champions
Rating the prospects of the 2020 F3 title contenders
With the title race finely poised ahead of the final triple-header, a category returnee who raced George Russell in his F3 days lends Autosport his thoughts on the ones to watch
