Oulton race 2: Alan VDM doubles up
Alan van der Merwe already had a dominant lead in the British Formula 3 Championship before coming to Oulton Park, but a double race win in Cheshire today (Sunday) has set him up nicely for the title
After his disastrous start to race one, poleman Nelson Piquet Jnr had an average getaway in the second race, whereas van der Merwe rocketed into the lead. Adam Carroll (Menu Dallara-Opel) made the best start of the lot, weaving in between van der Merwe and Piquet, while Jamie Green (Carlin Dallara-Mugen) further demoted Piquet Jnr to fourth by the first corner.
Van der Merwe got the hammer down straight away, and was 2secs ahead of Carroll by lap eight and cruised to a dominant win. Carroll admitted he "made a few mistakes" that stopped him challenging for victory, while Green and Piquet were closely matched in third and fourth, which was how they finished.
"I'm glad I got a good start," said van der Merwe. "I saw that Nelson lost a few places, but I have to say this weekend went much better than I expected it to. I didn't think I'd do well here because it's one of my worst circuits."
Richard Antinucci (Carlin Dallara-Mugen) was a distant fifth, ahead of Clivio Piccione (Manor Dallara-Mugen), who bounced back from crashing out of race one at Knickerbrook by finishing sixth. Danny Watts (Hitech Dallara-Renault) could only manage seventh this time, after finishing second in today's earlier race, and was chased home by Will Davison (ADR Dallara-Mugen) and Will Power (Fortec Dallara-Renault).
Karun Chandhok (T-Sport Dallara-Mugen) won the Scholarship Class once again, ahead of Ernesto Viso (P1 Dallara-Mugen).
1 Alan van der Merwe (Carlin) Dallara-Mugen 12 laps
2 Adam Carroll (Menu) Dallara-Opel +2.680s
3 Jamie Green (Carlin) Dallara-Mugen +3.814s
4 Nelson Piquet Jnr (Piquet Sports) Dallara-Mugen +4.401s
5 Richard Antinucci (Carlin) Dallara-Mugen +6.895s
6 Clivio Piccione (Manor) Dallara-Mugen +10.745s
7 Danny Watts (Hitech) Dallara-Renault +13.037s
8 Will Davison (Docking) Dallara-Mugen +13.539s
9 Will Power (Fortec) Dallara-Renault +17.701s
10 Fairuz Fauzy (Promatecme) Dallara-Mugen +17.813s
1 Karun Chandhok (T-Sport) Dallara-Mugen 12 laps
2 Ernesto Viso (P1) Dallara-Mugen
Previous article
Le Mans race 1: Rosberg's maiden victory
Next article
Le Mans qualifying 2: Pla takes pole
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
