Noel Leon wins the F3 Sprint Race in Imola. However, the Mexican from Van Amersfoort is currently under investigation for having zigzagged (a maneuver prohibited by the regulations) in one of the many Safety Car restarts that characterized the race.
Second place for Oliver Goethe (Campos)with the German actually crossing the finish line first after outwitting Leon on the last lap when restarting from the Virtual Safety Car, but was then penalized for an infringement behind the Safety Car. Third and penalized (although in this case the penalty was irrelevant) Tim Tramnitz, with MP Motorsport.
Championship leader Luke Browning (Hitech) out of the raceafter contact. Gabriele Minì (Prema) finishes in sixth placewhile Leonardo Fornaroli (Trident) does not collect points and the Sicilian joins the other two at the top of the championship with 37 points.
Race report
Due to the grid reversal after yesterday’s qualifying Kacper Sztuka starts from polealongside Noel Leon and ahead of Tim Tramnitz and Luke Browning. At the start Leon takes the lead of the race, but this was immediately neutralized with the Safety Car due to Mari Boya going off the track at the Variante Villeneuve after a contact with Tommy Smith. Sztuka, meanwhile, also loses positions on Tramnitz and Oliver Goethe.
We start again on lap 4/18, with Leon in front who immediately gives way without worrying. In the center of the group Dino Beganovic gets into a brawl with Laurens Van Hoepen, passing him when the Dutchman touches the sand coming out of Villeneuve: Behind him Gabriele Minì also tries to take advantage, but the Dutchman takes him to the outside of Tosa. Both are beaten by Sami Meguetounif, and the Frenchman drops to ninth position.
The green flag lasts just a lap and a half, because Callum Voisin crashes at the exit of Tosa after being sent off by Charlie Wurz, causing another entry of the Safety Car. Another restart on lap 7/18, and Meguetounif touches Beganovic ending up in the gravel of Tamburello, then being imitated, and almost shot, by Joseph Loake. Once again the safety car has to return to the track, returning to the pits on lap 11/18. The most aggressive in this phase is Minì, who with a nice Villeneuve maneuver gets rid of Van Hoepen to climb to seventh position. The Italian is very fast, and manages to catch up with the front trio of Sztuka, Beganovic and Browning.
Goethe, meanwhile, goes to pass Tramnitz for second positionshortly before the Safety Car was called due to an error by Tasanapol Inthrapuvasak. However, as soon as the neutralization is signaled, the Thai driver sets off again, thus making the entry of the security car useless. However, since she had already been called back at that point, it was necessary to complete another lap behind the SC before she could resume the race on lap 15/18.
Sztuka is in difficulty, and is overtaken on the penultimate lap by Beganovic at Tamburello. Browning alla Tosa also tries to take advantage of it, but the two touch, and the Englishman ends up in the barriers. Minì, behind them, is slowed down by the contact, suffering the attack of Van Hoepen.
The Virtual Safety Car is deployed, before the green flag is displayed when the leaders have passed the Variante Gresini; Leon has a hesitation at the restart, and is burned by Goethe, who crosses the finish line first. Incredibly however, both Goethe and Tramnitz are penalized five seconds for an irregularity behind the Safety Car, and so Leon wins the raceeven though he himself is under investigation for weaving.
Beganovic, Sztuka, Minì (who burned Van Hoepen in the restart), Lindblad, Bedrin and Ramos also finished on points. Leonardo Fornaroli is out of the points, while Goethe takes the additional point for the fastest lap.
The rankings after the F3 Imola Sprint Race
FIA F3 ranking: Browning 37, Fornaroli 37, Minì 37, Beganovic 33, Tramnitz 29, Lindblad 26.
F3 will return tomorrow at 8.30, with the Imola Feature Race.
Alfredo Cirelli
