GP3 Red Bull Ring: Oscar Tunjo takes maiden win from ninth on grid
Oscar Tunjo charged to his maiden GP3 victory from ninth on the grid at the Red Bull Ring
The 19-year-old Colombian made a good start to run sixth at the restart after an early safety car, deployed after a first-lap accident at Turn 2.
This was as a result of race-one star Antonio Fuoco braking too late while trying to repulse an attack from Luca Ghiotto and slid into Jann Mardenborough.
This briefly launched Fuoco into the air in a crash that also eliminated Sandy Stuvik - although Mardenborough was able to make it back to the pits and rejoin to finish 15th in his hobbled car missing some of its sidepod.
When the race restarted on lap four, Tunjo took it easy early on so as to have the tyre life to attack on the closing stages.
He launched his charge to the front on lap 10 by passing pole-position starter Ralph Boschung, who had lost the lead to Marvin Kirchhofer on lap five, for fifth.
Two laps later, Tunjo took fourth from Emil Bernstorff through the final double right-hander and a lap later he dispatched race-one winner Luca Ghiotto for third.
On the following lap, reigning European Formula 3 champion Esteban Ocon - who had run second behind Kirchhofer after also passing Boschung - fell to Tunjo in a move that started at Turn 3 and was completed into Turn 5.
That left only leader Kirchhoffer for Tunjo to deal with. Kirchhoffer defended into Turn 2 on the 15th of 18 laps, only for Tunjo to hang on around the outside and make the move stick thanks to getting the power down well at the exit.
Kirchhofer and Ocon completed the podium, with Ghiotto retaining his points lead with fourth place ahead of Bernstorff.
Matheo Tuscher finished sixth ahead of Status Grand Prix driver Seb Morris, who picked up his first points in GP3 after a strong drive from 19th on the grid.
RESULT
| Pos | Driver | Team | Laps | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Tunjo | Trident | 18 | 26m51.893s |
| 2 | Marvin Kirchhofer | ART Grand Prix | 18 | 3.034s |
| 3 | Luca Ghiotto | Trident | 18 | 4.093s |
| 4 | Emil Bernstorff | Arden International | 18 | 5.394s |
| 5 | Seb Morris | Status Grand Prix | 18 | 10.494s |
| 6 | Alex Fontana | Status Grand Prix | 18 | 11.179s |
| 7 | Matt Parry | Koiranen GP | 18 | 11.257s |
| 8 | Ralph Boschung | Jenzer Motorsport | 18 | 14.686s |
| 9 | Artur Janosz | Trident | 18 | 18.900s |
| 10 | Jimmy Eriksson | Koiranen GP | 18 | 19.657s |
| 11 | Mitch Gilbert | Carlin | 18 | 19.787s |
| 12 | Adderly Fong | Koiranen GP | 18 | 19.940s |
| 13 | Jann Mardenborough | Carlin | 18 | 20.255s |
| 14 | Zaid Ashkanani | Campos Racing | 18 | 27.495s |
| 15 | Alex Bosak | Arden International | 18 | 28.306s |
| 16 | Samin Gomez | Campos Racing | 17 | 1 Lap |
| - | Esteban Ocon | ART Grand Prix | 18 | Disqualified |
| - | Matheo Tuscher | Jenzer Motorsport | 18 | Disqualified |
| - | Antonio Fuoco | Carlin | 0 | Retirement |
| - | Alfonso Celis | ART Grand Prix | 0 | Retirement |
| - | Alex Palou | Campos Racing | 0 | Retirement |
| - | Sandy Stuvik | Status Grand Prix | 0 | Retirement |
| - | Kevin Ceccon | Arden International | 0 | Withdrawn |
| - | Pal Varhaug | Jenzer Motorsport | 0 | Not started |
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luca Ghiotto | 66 |
| 2 | Marvin Kirchhofer | 47 |
| 3 | Esteban Ocon | 44 |
| 4 | Emil Bernstorff | 41 |
| 5 | Jann Mardenborough | 32 |
| 6 | Antonio Fuoco | 30 |
| 7 | Jimmy Eriksson | 20 |
| 8 | Oscar Tunjo | 17 |
| 9 | Kevin Ceccon | 10 |
| 10 | Alex Fontana | 7 |
| 11 | Seb Morris | 6 |
| 12 | Sandy Stuvik | 6 |
| 13 | Ralph Boschung | 5 |
| 14 | Matt Parry | 2 |
| 15 | Alfonso Celis | 1 |
| 16 | Artur Janosz | 0 |
| 17 | Zaid Ashkanani | 0 |
| 18 | Pal Varhaug | 0 |
| 19 | Mitch Gilbert | 0 |
| 20 | Matheo Tuscher | 0 |
| 21 | Alex Palou | 0 |
| 22 | Adderly Fong | 0 |
| 23 | Alex Bosak | 0 |
| 24 | Samin Gomez | 0 |
Previous article
Spa European F3: Ferrari protege Lance Stroll gets ban after crash
Next article
European F3 Spa: Jake Dennis takes second win in final race
How Campos Racing has bounced back from its devastating loss
After the sudden death of its founder in January, Formula 2 stalwart Campos Racing was left facing its hardest season to date. But new team boss Adrian Jr is determined to honour his father’s legacy and has returned the team to its winning ways
How F2 and F3's flawed format changes could prove shortlived
After a chaotic 2020, marred by the coronavirus pandemic, the FIA brought in radical changes to Formula 2 and 3. But less than 12 months later, there are talks of them being reversed after all did not go to plan…
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
