Barcelona F3: Smolyar takes maiden win after safety car finish
ART Grand Prix’s Alexander Smolyar won the first FIA Formula 3 race of the 2021 season in Spain, which ended under a safety car.
Having started second after the top 12 from qualifying were reversed, Smolyar took the lead from Carlin rookie Jonny Edgar on the fourth lap of 22 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with the help of DRS at Turn 1 after a tight battle during the first few laps.
Smolyar had broken the DRS train by lap eight, giving him more than 1.5 seconds on Edgar which he extended to more than two seconds by the 12th lap, although a charging Clement Novalak had started to threaten before the safety car appeared on lap 19 when HWA Racelab driver Oliver Rasmussen ended up in the gravel at the final corner.
The Russian sophomore's victory, only his second podium finish in F3 after a third place at Monza last year, also came with an added two bonus points for securing the fastest lap. Smolyar was denied a maiden F3 win last year at Silverstone when he picked up a post-race five-second time penalty for excessive weaving.
Trident’s Novalak rose from sixth on the grid to finish second for his first F3 podium since the second of the four Silverstone races held in 2020, while MP Motorsport rookie Caio Collet took third on his debut.
Charouz Racing System’s Logan Sargeant, the highest placed returning driver from last year, finished fourth after completing a late deal to sign for the Czech team earlier this week, while poleman Edgar slipped back to fifth.
Ido Cohen’s Carlin car ground to a halt on the track during the formation lap, forcing the start to be aborted and inducing another formation lap for the other 29 drivers while he was towed back to the pitlane.
Despite Edgar having a great getaway and remaining in first for the initial few laps, he dropped down to fourth by the 16th lap as his tyres wore away, before being overtaken Sargeant the following lap.
Olli Caldwell was the best-placed entry from reigning teams champion Prema in sixth ahead of ART's Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti, with race three poleman Dennis Hauger - who started 12th after topping Friday's qualifying session - completing the top eight.
Podium: Race winner Alexander Smolyar, ART Grand Prix, second place Clement Novalak, Trident, third place Caio Collet, MP Motorsport
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Their Prema team-mate Arthur Leclerc was forced to pit on lap 14 after a rear left puncture, dropping him down the running order to an eventual 28th place finish after Rasmussen's off.
Trident’s Jack Doohan, who qualified second yesterday, dropped down the order from 11th to 19th during the hectic first lap and eventually finished 17th.
The top 12 of this morning’s race is reversed to form the grid for this afternoon’s race, with Charouz’s Enzo Fittipaldi starting on pole.
Trident’s David Schumacher will start second, with HWA Racelab’s Matteo Nannini and MP Motorsport’s Victor Martins on the second row.
Results
Barcelona F3: Hauger snatches late pole from Doohan
Barcelona F3: Caldwell inherits win after multiple leader tangles
How F3's all-female test proved physicality is no barrier to progression
Breaking into the Formula 1 feeder series pyramid has long proved tough for female drivers, but Abbi Pulling is among those making it her goal. She told Autosport what it was like to take part in F3’s all-female test and what more can be done to help women progress
Bortoleto fastest at F3 Jerez post-season test
Gabriel Bortoleto topped the timesheets in the FIA Formula 3 post-season test at Jerez, setting the fastest overall lap on Thursday for Trident.
Montoya, Fittipaldi among F3 Jerez post-season test lineup
Sebastian Montoya and Emerson Fittipaldi Jr are among those confirmed to take place in the FIA Formula 3 post-season test at Jerez.
How a red-flagged race determined F3 champion Martins' destiny
Leading from the start of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 season, Victor Martins sat a champion in waiting as a red-flagged race decided his destiny. Much like the way he was crowned, it hasn’t always been straightforward for the determined Frenchman
What racing in Australia means for the future of F1's junior series
The announcement that FIA Formula 2 and 3 would race alongside the Australian Grand Prix from 2023 came as a surprise, not only to fans but to the series’ teams too. But with Formula 1’s boom in popularity bringing more fans to the championships, team principals are relishing the opportunity
Why the Formula 3 benchmark's 2022 season hinges on qualifying
Prema Racing has long dominated FIA Formula 3, taking the teams’ title in two of the past three seasons. But its start to 2022 has been trickier than usual, and the answers lie in its qualifying performance
How the ultra-tight F3 title fight is taking shape
With just five points separating the top five after two rounds, FIA Formula 3 looks set for another thrilling season in 2022. But who stands the best chance of pulling away from that pack, and who are the contenders bubbling under?
The F3 newcomer making good on his unusual career path
Joining the FIA Formula 3 grid as a rookie with a team new to the series could prove daunting for most, but then there aren't many drivers who have the extensive experience Franco Colapinto brings from his time racing sportscars. The Argentinian explains how his LMP2 experience is already helping him in 2022
The British trio hunting for F3 title glory
The 2022 FIA Formula 3 season kicks off this weekend in Bahrain. British trio Zak O’Sullivan, Ollie Bearman and Jonny Edgar have all become proteges of Formula 1 teams, and are talents to watch this year
How an outsider demolished a rank of F1 juniors
His career has been a slowburner but Gregoire Saucy trounced a collection of F1 juniors in Formula Regional by Alpine last year, and now he’s preparing to do it again in FIA F3. Here’s how the Swiss caught the world by surprise in 2021 and how he plans to do it all over again
Ranking the top 10 F2 and F3 drivers of 2021
With a veritable feast of feeder series talent in 2021, FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 produced some of its most exciting racing yet. Although Prema Racing drivers once again dominated the respective series, drivers from other teams also stole the limelight to mark themselves out as stars of the future, or validate their highly-regarded standing
How Prema continued its dominance of F1's junior ladder in 2021
Taking three of the four titles and producing two outstanding champions in the process, Prema Racing remained the team to beat in Formula 1's feeder series in 2021. Team boss Rene Rosin reveals the traits that helped Dennis Hauger and Oscar Piastri to come out on top in Formula 3 and Formula 2