Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP3 Media Service

With his lead in the GP3 standings increasing after victory at the Hungaroring, Luca Ghiotto continues to shade the expected title favourites, writes Peter Allen.

Luca Ghiotto remains on course for an against-the-odds GP3 title triumph after his second win of the campaign at the Hungaroring last weekend.

The Italian heads the standings going into the summer break with 23 and 25 points respectively over the high-profile ART Grand Prix pairing of Marvin Kirchhofer and Esteban Ocon.

When European F3 champion Ocon lived up to pre-season expectations by winning the opening race at Barcelona, you could have been forgiven for thinking that was it.

Kirchhofer, third in GP3 last year, made up for a lacklustre start to that weekend by winning the second race, leaving him just a couple of points behind his team-mate.

But Trident driver Ghiotto – making the full-time switch to GP3 after a mostly anonymous season in Formula Renault 3.5 – proved his Barcelona pole was no fluke by repeating it at Spielberg. But this time he converted it into victory – and a 12-second win at that.

With Ghiotto back on the podium in race two, Kirchhofer down the order in race one and Ocon excluded from the second of his podium finishes that weekend on a technicality, he left Austria with 19 points in hand.

At Silverstone he was off the podium, enabling his rivals to gain ground with a win for Kirchhofer in race one and a P2 for Ocon in race two.

But Ghiotto returned to his best in Hungary, with his third pole from four rounds and victory number two, with Ocon and Kirchhofer forced to settle for places on the podium in race one.

Notably, Ocon scored a second P2 finish on Sunday, allowing him to make up ground from his earlier exclusion. But with four rounds done and four to go, more than that will be needed to catch Ghiotto in the second half of the year.

Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP3 Media Service

Ghiotto and Trident’s form has been quite remarkable. In qualifying, he’s able to find the pace to beat the competition to pole, while in race-trim he is able to preserve his tyres better than the rest to pull away in the closing stages.

Yes, being at the head of the field is always going to aid tyre conservation, since following another car in GP3 has proven to be hard work. But Kirchhofer was in that position at Silverstone and found himself under attack late on.

If it was the case that Ghiotto’s success was purely down to he and his car package being better at keeping life in the tyres, it might be hard to stomach. At GP3 level I’d much rather see drivers rewarded for outright pace than for tyre saving.

But it isn’t the case at all, given Ghiotto’s near-dominance of qualifying. He could have a 100 per cent record had he not gone wide on a crucial lap at Silverstone.

ART is not where it wants to be when it comes to tyre preservation in comparison to Trident, but it’s not particularly struggling either, given that its drivers are able to sustain podium positions.

At the moment though, Ocon and Kirchhofer are second to best to Ghiotto in qualifying and races, and together with their team will need to find something over the break to turn that around and claim the title they need to maintain some career momentum.

Results Roundup

GP2 ? Round 6/10 ? Hungaroring, Hungary

As at Silverstone, champion in waiting Stoffel Vandoorne misses pole and after a penalty leaves him fifth in race one, he takes second in race two. Alex Lynn wins feature race from pole, with Pierre Gasly second and Sergey Sirotkin third to complete all-rookie podium.?Nobuharu Matsushita scores sprint victory with Sirotkin third again to close on P2 in the standings, which?Rio Haryanto takes from a non-scoring Alexander Rossi.

Race 1: 1 Lynn; 2 Gasly; 3 Sirotkin; 4 Haryanto; 5 Vandoorne; 6 King
Race 2: 1 Matsushita; 2 Vandoorne; 3 Sirotkin; 4 Marciello; 5 Haryanto; 6 Nato
Standings: Vandoorne, 194; Haryanto, 109; Rossi, 105; Sirotkin, 103; Lynn, 85; Gasly, 61
Next round: Spa-Francorchamps (22-23 August)

Photo: Glenn Dunbar/GP2 Media Service

GP3 ? Round 4/8 ? Hungaroring, Hungary

Luca Ghiotto pulls away again in title race with second win from third pole from four rounds. Esteban Ocon and Marvin Kirchhofer have to make do with second and third, but Ocon is second again in race two. Kevin Ceccon scores his second straight reverse-grid win, while Matt Parry makes the podium for the second time after team-mate Jimmy Eriksson is penalised for track limits abuse.

Race 1: 1 Ghiotto; 2 Ocon; 3 Kirchhofer; 4 Bernstorff; 5 Parry; 6 Eriksson
Race 2: 1 Ceccon; 2 Ocon; 3 Parry; 4 Bernstorff; 5 Parry; 6 Eriksson
Standings: Ghiotto, 121; Kirchhofer, 98; Ocon, 96; Bernstorff, 75; Ceccon, 54; Eriksson, 50
Next round: Spa-Francorchamps (22-23 August)

Formula Renault 2.0 NEC ? Round 4/7 ? Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium

Rookie Max Defourny scores first victory at home circuit from pole in race one, leaving Kevin Jorg and Callan O’Keeffe behind. Leader Louis Deletraz picks up a half-points victory from a washed-out race two that lasted for three safety car laps, with Defourny and Jorg completing the podium.

Race 1: 1 Defourny; 2 Jorg; 3 O?Keeffe; 4 Deletraz; 5 Sasahara; 6 Daruvala
Race 2: 1 Deletraz; 2 Defourny; 3 Jorg; 4 Gill; 5 Sasahara; 6 Daruvala
Standings: Deletraz, 207; Jorg, 163; Sasahara, 148; O?Keeffe, 127.5; Defourny, 114; Gill, 106.5
Next round: Assen (1-2 August)

Formula Renault Argentina ? Round 6/12 ? San Luis, Argentina

Emiliano Marino and?Martin Moggia?share the wins again. After Moggia takes third in race one behind?Gaston Cabrera, he comes from seventh on the grid to win the second, taking the lead when pole-sitter Marino spins out.?Nicolas Cazal and?Federico Cavagnero join Moggia on the podium.

Race 1: 1 Marino; 2 Cabrera; 3 Moggia; 4 Cazal; 5 Cavagnero; 6 Dominici
Race 2: 1 Moggia; 2 Cazal; 3 Cavagnero; 4 Beguiristain; 5 Dominici; 6 Satler
Standings: Moggia, 202; Marino, 142; Ciarrochi, 111; Cabrera, 104; Dominici, 83; Cazal/Cavagnero, 57
Next round: Cordoba (15-16 August)

The post Weekend Review: Ghiotto still heads GP3 after Hungary win appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: Gruppe C GmbH/ADAC

For the second week in a row, crash-strewn junior races are the big talking point of the week, this time in ADAC F4. Valentin Khorounzhiy gives his thoughts on the situation.

?This should not and will not happen again,? Lechner Racing protege Florian Janits said after hitting Job van Uitert at turn one in ADAC F4’s final Spielberg race. It wasn’t the very capable Austrian’s finest move, but his incident was far from the most egregious this weekend.

Indeed, it’s not been a great couple of weeks for FIA’s junior ladder as the well-publicised disaster of a European F3 round at Monza has now been followed up with an ADAC F4 outing that was less of a trainwreck, but just enough to generate some pretty woeful headlines for the series.

While Saturday’s only race produced two relatively tame incidents, all hell broke loose on Sunday. First, Thomas Preining hit Mick Schumacher on the main straight, resulting in a broken hand for the series’ most popular driver. But that was followed up by an even worse crash in the opening lap of the final race ? Mattia Drudi rejoined the track at high speed, spun himself over Ralf Aron and triggered a very nasty pileup.

Several cars were out for the day, but rising Ferrari star Guan Yu Zhou had the worst of it, losing almost half his car in a high-speed roll. It was honestly a surprise to even see the race restarted ? and, conversely, quite unsurprising to see it canned early after two more crashes.

Crashes happen in racing, of course. But that’s now two weeks in a row that a junior championship has been called short of the checkered flag amidst carnage. It definitely makes sense to wonder what exactly is at play here.

Let’s get the really obvious one out of the way from the get go ? the thing European F3 and ADAC F4 have in common is that they’re ludicrously popular, with grid sizes unrivaled by other professional international single-seater championships.

ADAC F4 is so in demand it actually has non-qualifiers, which does seem rather harsh on young racers who got their sponsorship together to be there. But even with DNQs, the grid size at Spielberg was at 37 cars.

Even disregarding skill and experience levels and other variables like that, simple maths will tell you this bumps the probability of incidents up quite a notch compared to your usual 20-car grid. More incidents mean more safety cars, more safety cars mean the field getting bunched up all over again – ‘cautions breeding cautions’, if you like. Some will tell you that means less safety cars need to be called out, but I won’t be one of them.

Photo: Gruppe C GmbH/ADAC

In addition, just as European F3, ADAC F4 boasts a very, very strong this year, possibly as strong as it gets in entry-level championships. At Spielberg, that meant that 26 cars qualified within a second of the top times in their respective groups. That’s not exactly a field that’s going to spread out as the race goes on.

And that might be part of the problem in a different sense. Some overtaking attempts at Spielberg seemed downright desperate, as did some defensive moves and that’s hardly surprising. For many of these drivers, this season is make-or-break and they’ve been thrust into a grid that has about 20 names just as quick as them. Most of them won’t get many chances to score a top result ? and Spielberg, due to its overtake-heavy nature, represents one of the better opportunities to fight through to a finish that can secure your future.

The biggest hit of the weekend took place right after Drudi rejoined from the runoff at the first corner and spun himself over Aron. Monza’s Parabolica runoff was heftily blamed for a good chunk of last weekend’s carnage, albeit, as someone who saw Sun Zheng dip into the gravel that used to be there and get collected by a flat-out Matevos Isaakyan last year in FR2.0 Alps, I implore people not to oversimplify the issue.

The current situation at Turn 1, however, clearly needs some work because the runoff means that the available track narrows dramatically in a very short distance, almost asking for an incident like this.

Drudi, of course, should’ve eased off the throttle. But it’s not hard to see why he didn’t ? it’s a split-second decision between either doing something other drivers have gotten away with all weekend and keeping a good spot, or losing momentum and dropping well out of the top ten. He’s a title contender so, for him, the difference between finishing, say, 11^th, 35^th or retiring altogether is virtually non-existent ? all are non-scores.

It is also worth noting this particular misjudgment was made by one of the series’ finest ? a driver who last year did the first-ever hat-trick of wins in an FIA F4 series. Not that the rest of those who caused trouble don’t deserve to be here ? Preining’s a Rotax karting star, Janits is a race winner in Renault 1.6, Robert Shwartzman, whose failed overtake on David Beckmann eventually led to the red flag, is one of Russia’s biggest prospects. Even Schumacher himself caused a crash on Saturday and there won’t be many who argue he doesn’t belong on the grid.

It’s arguable, of course, but for my money, the issue is not the drivers, nor is it a lack of some nebulous notion of ‘respect’ or, even worse, ‘fear’. It’s just a direct result of putting a number of inexperienced racers in the competition of their lives.

Photo: Gruppe C GmbH/ADAC

So, how can this whole situation be solved? Well, there’s not much the FIA can do this year, sporting regulations being set in stone and all, except maybe be stricter in enforcing penalties for undesirable on-track behaviour ? a fine goal, though probably not the instant solution to every problem some might think it is.

Personally, should ADAC F4 aim for a similar grid size next year, I would heartily welcome a huge rethink of the points system for 2016. When there’s more than two dozen drivers within one second of the leader, only handing points to nine of them is not only unfair, but also conducive for unreasonable risk-taking in the lower reaches of the pack.

But, at the end of the day, filling the grid with 40 people straight out of karting is just not very safe or particularly educational ? it is unlikely they will have to face such numbers anywhere else further along in their single-seater careers.

The entry list should be capped, as bad for business as that sounds. And if demand remains this high, there should be an alternative supply. The most recent competitor to what was then ADAC Formel Masters in this region was Formula Renault 1.6 NEC, which would’ve certainly helped the new F4 series manage grid numbers if it didn’t go under. But it did and something is needed to fill that void instead.

The solutions, however, all mostly seem long-term. With entries paid and budgets settled, it’s not easy to imagine what the FIA and ADAC could do right now to prevent a repeat of this further down the calendar. But one thing’s for sure – crossing fingers and closing eyes is not an option. Especially not when the next track ADAC F4 will be visiting is Spa-Francorchamps.

Results Roundup

Formula Renault 2.0 Alps ? Round 4/7 ? Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium

Jake Hughes?and Matevos Isaakyan?win the two respective races to close in on championship leader Jack Aitken and, with eight races to go, the title will almost certainly be decided among the trio. Isaakyan’s teammate Thiago Vivacqua helps him out by taking points out of the Koiranen duo with two podiums.

Race 1: 1 Hughes; 2 M. Isaakyan; 3 Vivacqua; 4 Aitken; 5 Riener; 6 Pronenko
Race 2: 1 M. Isaakyan; 2 Vivacqua; 3 Hughes; 4 Aitken; 5 Romanov; 6 Hamprecht
Standings: Aitken, 149; Hughes, 142; M. Isaakyan, 129; Riener, 109; Vivacqua, 101
Next round: Monza (4-5 July)

Photo: Fast Lane Promotion

Formula Renault 2.0 NEC ? Round 3/7 ? Spielberg, Austria

Josef Kaufmann Racing duo Kevin Jorg and Louis Deletraz run the show, locking out the top two in each of the three races by a considerable margin. Jorg wins the first two, but Deletraz gets the last laugh and now enjoys a sizeable lead in the points. Behind them, Jehan Daruvala, Alex Gill and Nikita Mazepin all take their first podium finishes.

Race 1: 1 Jorg; 2 Deletraz; 3 Daruvala; 4 O’Keeffe; 5 Gill; 6 Habsburg
Race 2: 1 Jorg; 2 Deletraz; 3 Gill; 4 Daruvala; 5 Eastwood; 6 O’Keeffe
Race 3: 1 Deletraz; 2 Jorg; 3 Mazepin; 4 O’Keeffe; 5 Habsburg; 6 Sasahara
Standings: Deletraz, 175; Jorg, 129; Sasahara, 124; O’Keeffe, 101; Gill, 90; Daruvala, 78
Next round: Spa-Francorchamps (25-26 July)

Euroformula Open ? Round 4/8 ? Silverstone, United Kingdom

Yu Kanamaru?enters title picture as the round’s top scorer, winning the first race and finishing runner-up to points leader Konstantin Tereshchenko in the second. Two podiums for Vitor Baptista keep him in the hunt, while Alessio Rovera returns to form with a third place on Saturday.

Race 1: 1 Kanamaru; 2 Baptista; 3 Rovera; 4 Stern; 5 Menchaca; 6 Fioravanti
Race 2: 1 Tereshchenko; 2 Kanamaru; 3 Baptista; 4 Pulcini; 5 Rovera; 6 Sathienthirakul
Standings: Tereshchenko, 155; Baptista, 147; Kanamaru, 119; Rovera, 92; Sathienthirakul, 70; Stern, 57
Next round: Spielberg (4-5 July)

ADAC F4 ? Round 2/8 ? Spielberg, Austria

Joel Eriksson wins twice to take the points lead, even if a race three pileup stops him from adding to the tally. The shortened finale is won by Joseph Mawson. Oschersleben stars Marvin Dienst and Ralf Aron have tough weekends, but both make podium appearances.

Race 1: 1 Eriksson; 2 Aron; 3 Zhou; 4 Waldherr; 5 Zimmermann; 6 Shwartzman
Race 2: 1 Eriksson; 2 Zimmermann; 3 Dienst, 4 Drudi; 5 Waldherr; 6 Esmeijer
Race 3: 1 Mawson; 2 Esmeijer; 3 Beckmann; 4 Waldherr; 5 Cecotto; 6 Schramm
Standings: Eriksson, 74; Dienst, 73; Mawson, 64; Aron, 63; Waldherr, 48; Drudi, 47
Next round: Spa-Francorchamps (20-21 June)

MSA Formula ? Round 4/10 ? Oulton Park, United Kingdom

Ricky Collard and Lando Norris share wins to edge clear of former leader Dan Ticktum, while the reverse-grid race is claimed by first-time winner Sennan Fielding. Matheus Leist posts three top-five finishes, while a maiden podium is secured by Colton Herta.

Race 1: 1 Collard; 2 Norris; 3 Herta; 4 Martins; 5 Leist; 6 Barlow
Race 2: 1 Fielding; 2 Leist; 3 Ticktum; 4 Baybutt; 5 Barlow; 6 Herta
Race 3: 1 Norris; 2 Collard; 3 Fielding; 4 Leist; 5 Ticktum; 6 Florescu
Standings: Collard, 175; Norris, 168; Ticktum, 149; Leist, 134; Mitchell, 89; Fielding, 87
Next round: Croft (27-28 June)

SMP F4 ? Round 2/7 ? Moscow Raceway, Russia

Finns Aleksanteri Huovinen and Niko Kari star, making the podium in all three races and grabbing a win each. Aleksey Korneev bounces back after stalling from pole in race one to win race three, while Vladimir Atoev and Nikita Sitnikov also claim home-soil podiums.

Race 1: 1 Huovinen; 2 Kari; 3 Atoev; 4 Sitnikov; 5 N. Isaakyan; 6 Maslennikov
Race 2: 1 Kari; 2 Huovinen; 3 Sitnikov; 4 N. Isaakyan; 5 Atoev; 6 Troitskiy
Race 3: 1 Korneev; 2 Kari; 3 Huovinen; 4 Nylund; 5 Troitskiy; 6 N. Isaakyan
Standings: Huovinen, 117; Kari, 99; Atoev, 75; Troitskiy, 53; N. Isaakyan, 52; Sitnikov, 47
Next round: Sochi (19-20 July)

Photo: SMP F4

Japanese F3 ? Round 4/8 ? Fuji, Japan

In spite of best efforts from first-time poleman Nirei Fukuzumi and B-Max leader Mitsunori Takaboshi, the TOM’S winning streak continues, with Kenta Yamashita and Nick Cassidy sharing wins. Cassidy increases lead, but teammate remains within one race’s points haul.

Race 1: 1 Yamashita; 2 Cassidy; 3 Takaboshi; 4 Sasaki; 5 Fukuzumi; 6 Ishikawa
Race 2: 1 Cassidy; 2 Takaboshi; 3 Yamashita; 4 Fukuzumi; 5 Sasaki; 6 Ishikawa
Standings: Cassidy, 72; Yamashita, 63; Takaboshi, 56; Fukuzumi, 23; Ordonez, 18; Takahashi, 17
Next round: Okayama (27-28 June)

Formula Masters China ? Round 2/6 ? Shanghai, China

Martin Rump wins twice despite grid penalty and takes championship lead. However, Jake Parsons responds with wet-weather victory in race three and is just one point adrift. Their respective teammates Nicholas Rowe and Daniel Woodroof make podium appearances, as does local Yuan Bo.

Race 1: 1 Rump; 2 Woodroof; 3 Parsons; 4 Rowe; 5 Read; 6 Hudspeth
Race 2: 1 Rump; 2 Rowe; 3 Woodroof; 4 Read; 5 Tomoki Takahashi; 6 Bo
Race 3: 1 Parsons; 2 Rump; 3 Bo; 4 Swanepoel; 5 Read; 6 Tae
Standings: Rump, 81; Parsons, 80; Read, 52; Woodroof, 42; Rowe, 39; Swanepoel, 32
Next round: Penbay (4-5 July)

Formula Renault Argentina ? Round 4/12 ? Rio Hondo, Argentina

17-year-old Martin Moggia starts to pull away in the standings lead, finishing runner-up to first-time winner Gaston Cabrera in race one and taking the race two honours. Of his nearest rivals, Marino Ciarrocchi takes a runner-up finish, whereas Emiliano Marino struggles. 2014 runner-up Federico Cavagnero returns to claim a podium, while Nazareno Beguiristain posts maiden top-three.

Race 1: 1 Cabrera; 2 Moggia, 3 Cavagnero; 4 Ciarrochi; 5 Satler; 6 Zurita
Race 2: 1 Moggia; 2 Ciarrochi; 3 Beguiristain; 4 Dominici; 5 Lima; 6 Zurita
Standings: Moggia, 132; Ciarrochi, 105; Marino, 93; Dominici, 66; Cabrera, 63; Lima, 52
Next round: Rafaela (27-28 June)

F4 Sudamericana ? Round 2/8 ? Santa Cruz, Brazil

Despite a DNS in race one, former Ginetta Junior racer Pedro Cardoso vaults to the top of the standings by winning race two. Race one, meanwhile, is won by 2014 returnee Francisco Camarotta. Agustin Lima, who led after El Pinar, skips the round to race in Formula Renault Argentina.

Race 1: 1 Camarotta; 2 Casella; 3 Muraglia; 4 Guedes; 5 Pflucker; 6 Caland
Race 2: 1 Cardoso; 2 Camarotta; 3 Casella; 4 Guedes; 5 Pflucker; 6 Caland
Standings: Cardoso, 61; Casella, 58; Guedes, 57; Camarotta, 45; Lima, 42; Muraglia, 35
Next round: Mercedes (19 July)

The post Weekend Review: ADAC F4 keeps incidents in the spotlight appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Peter Allen looks back at the Pau Grand Prix weekend, where Jake Dennis found winning ways to prove he could yet be a factor in the European F3 title race.

Prior to last weekend’s Pau Grand Prix meeting, one could have been forgiven for seeing the FIA F3 European Championship title fight as a three-horse race already.

Antonio Giovinazzi, Charles Leclerc and Felix Rosenqvist had completely dominated the podium at Hockenheim, and in the standings, third-placed Rosenqvist had exactly twice as many points (92) as the driver in fourth.

That driver was Jake Dennis. Ninth in his rookie season last year, a move from Carlin to Prema for his second campaign put Dennis among the pre-season favourites for 2015. He struggled to live up to this status in the opening two rounds, however.

He was twice on the podium at Silverstone but was taken out of race two at the penultimate corner as he scrapped for minor points after stalling at the start. At Hockenheim, he was fourth in race one but was forced to start from the pitlane in race two after more problems with a new starting system, and a lowly eighth in race three after a poor qualifying.

Pau was always going to be a big weekend for Dennis to get his season kick-started. After all, at the beginning of last year he had low-key weekends at Silverstone and Hockenheim but then enjoyed his best event of the season in Pau – helped by experience from the prior year’s Formula Renault 2.0 race there – and triggered an improved run of form during the summer. If he was going to perform anywhere this season, it would be here.

This year, qualifying had held him back in the opening rounds versus his rivals, but Pau presented a great chance to put that right thanks to the grouping system (based on car numbers) which had put the championship top three in the first group and Dennis in the second. He fully maximised that opportunity to claim a hat-trick of poles.

In the races, there was no repeat of problems with the start system as Dennis got good enough launches on every occasion to retain the lead off the line. In race one he absorbed race-long pressure from Giovinazzi and Leclerc to take his maiden F3 victory, while in race two he survived a total of four safety car restarts – one after a red flag – to double up.

He looked comfortable in race three and seemed to be heading to Pau Grand Prix glory, but damaged suspension caused him to drop back as Giovinazzi stole victory.

Had he completed the treble, Dennis would have climbed to third in the standings ahead of Prema team-mate Rosenqvist (who could only manage a best finish of fifth during the weekend). As it is, he’s 14 points behind and further off the lead than he was before the weekend, but he’s proven he can be a factor in the title race.

More importantly than the points haul at this early stage of the season, Dennis has shown he has what it takes to lead the pack. This might have been just one weekend, but if he can repeat it elsewhere, he can be a championship contender.

Dennis won twice, but Giovinazzi and Leclerc remained consistent (Photo: FIA F3 European Championship)

Giovinazzi and Leclerc becoming permanent podium fixtures

Despite leading all but the last few laps of the entire Pau weekend, that non-score in the final race means that Dennis was out-scored by Giovinazzi over the course of the weekend, 50 points to 58. The Italian has continued his remarkable early-season consistency, and extended his 100 per cent podium record to nine races.

We knew from the second half of last season that Giovinazzi could be quick on his day, but he came into the season having not yet proven his consistency. If anything, any doubts around him now can only be about outright pace, as he’s yet to start on pole position yet this season.

Still, even though his Pau Grand Prix triumph was only the second win from his run of nine podiums, he’s proven adept at getting the most out of races. Indeed, at the weekend he moved forward from his grid position in each race.

It’s says something about Leclerc’s form as a rookie that three more podiums in Pau could be considered to be a “quite disappointing” return from his weekend’s efforts.

Having won in his first race weekends at both Silverstone and Hockenheim, expectation was that he could do the same in Pau, where he finished second in FR2.0 last year.

The pace was good in practice and qualifying but the grouping was weighted against him and prevented him from taking pole. But at the same time, he spurned his front row starts with poor getaways, and struggled to overtake in the races.

He needed some good fortune to make the podium in the final race but in doing so extended his rostrum streak to eight and keeps him well in touch with Giovinazzi. And his pace is such that he’s made the front row six times, more than anyone else.

Rosenqvist had been unbeaten in qualifying heading to Pau and won the main race there last year, but the F3 veteran made a mess of both of Friday’s sessions and after failing to progress into the points in race one, did a decent recovery job to take fifth and sixth in the remaining two. With Giovinazzi and Leclerc looking so strong, there won’t be room for the Swede to have many more weekends like this if he wants to live up to his title favourite status.

Back to the rookies, and Maximilian Gunther proved his Hockenheim pace was about more than just local knowledge as the ADAC Formel Masters produced a repeat hat-trick of P3 grid positions on his first visit to Pau. The grouping was favourable, but he was the nearest challenger to Dennis each time.

In the races, he couldn’t keep pace with the cars ahead of him and broke his string of top-five finishes in race when the late defence of a move from Giovinazzi sent him into the barriers, but he finally turned his starting position into a podium finish in race three when he was rewarded for keeping Leclerc behind with a P2 in the Grand Prix.

Gunther’s maiden podium came in the Grand Prix (Photo: FIA F3 European Championship)

Silverstone winner George Russell couldn’t leave his Hockenheim qualifying difficulties behind despite favourable grouping, but raced well to make the points in all three races. Lance Stroll, Alex Albon and Mikkel Jensen also scored well, and this quartet of rookies deservedly hold top 9 positions in the standings.

Leclerc’s Van Amersfoort team-mates and fellow youngsters Arjun Maini and Alessio Lorandi hadn’t troubled the scoreboard in the opening two weekends but came on strong in Pau, first topping practice sessions and then qualifying well. Maini turned that into a fourth and a fifth after some clean races while Lorandi belied his inexperience to take a sixth and a seventh.

Results Roundup

FIA F3 European Championship – Round 3/11 – Pau, France

Jake Dennis takes his first two F3 wins after locking out all pole position for all three races. He’s on course for a treble and victory in the Pau Grand Prix until a damaged wishbone slows him, handing the win to Antonio Giovinazzi. The championship leader and rival Charles Leclerc continue their podium streaks and?Maximilian Gunther finally gets his first, but Felix Rosenqvist struggles.

Race 1: 1 Dennis; 2 Giovinazzi; 3 Leclerc; 4 Gunther; 5 Albon; 6 Lorandi
Race 2: 1 Dennis; 2 Leclerc; 3 Giovinazzi; 4 Maini; 5 Rosenqvist; 6 Russell
Race 3: 1 Giovinazzi; 2 Gunther; 3 Leclerc; 4 Stroll; 5 Maini; 6 Rosenqvist
Standings: Giovinazzi, 164; Leclerc, 149; Rosenqvist, 110; Dennis, 96; Gunther, 54; Russell, 57
Next round: Monza (30-31 May)

Formula Renault 2.0 Alps – Round 2/7 – Pau, France

Anthoine Hubert dominates in Pau, winning both races from pole. His status as a guest driver means Matevos Isaakyan and Jake Hughes take top points for P2 finishes, and eighth and sixth still equals good points for leader Jack Aitken, keeping him ahead of Koiranen team-mates Stefan Riener and Hughes. FR3.5 racer and Pau expert Matthieu Vaxiviere gets a podium.

Race 1: 1 Hubert; 2 Isaakyan; 3 Gachet; 4 Kodric; 5 Hughes; 6 Riener
Race 2: 1 Hubert; 2 Hughes; 3 Vaxiviere; 4 Gachet; 5 Riener; 6 Aitken
Standings: Aitken, 75; Riener, 66; Hughes, 61; Isaakyan, 43; Vivacqua, 31; Hamprecht, 26
Next round: Spielberg (23-24 May)

Photo: Fast Lane Promotion

French F4 – Round 3/9 – Pau, France

Sacha Fenestraz takes the French F4 points lead with wins in the two main races in Pau, forcing erstwhile leader Valentin Moineault to settle for second both times. Axel Matus wins a scrappy reverse grid race ahead of a consistently-scoring Giuliano Alesi while Gabriel Aubry also scores well.

Race 1: 1 Fenestraz; 2 Moineault; 3 Aubry; 4 Laaksonen; 5 Alesi; 6 Kressner
Race 2: 1 Matus; 2 Alesi; 3 Darras; 4 Aubry; 5 Ye; 6 Darniche
Race 3: 1 Fenestraz; 2 Moineault; 3 Aubry; 4 Alesi; 5 Kressner; 6 Laaksonen
Standings: Fenestraz, 118; Moineault, 111; Alesi, 97.5; Matus, 84; Aubry, 73; Darras, 70
Next round: Hungaroring (13-14 June)

SMP F4 – Round 1/7 – Ahvenisto, Finland

The first ever SMP F4 event sees Formula Ford graduate Aleksanteri Huovinen win the opening two races on home soil. Fellow Finn Niko Kari wins the third race on the road but is penalised for an infringement at the start, handing victory to Nikita Troitskiy. Double pole-sitter Vladimir Atoev is second in the standings after a third, second and fourth.

Race 1: 1 Huovinen; 2 Kari; 3 Atoev; 4 Isaakyan; 5 Ahmed; 6 Matveev
Race 2: 1 Huovinen; 2 Atoev; 3 Ahmed; 4 Eriksson; 5 Matveev; 6 Troitskiy
Race 3: 1 Troitskiy; 2 Kari; 3 Eriksson; 4 Atoev; 5 Isaakyan; 6 Huovinen
Standings: Huovinen, 59; Atoev, 46; Kari, 38; Troitskiy, 35; Eriksson, 30; Isaakyan/Matveev, 22
Next round: Moscow (5-7 June)

Formula Renault Argentina – Round 3/12 – Obera, Argentina

Martin Moggia takes the standings lead with another win and second place, while erstwhile leader Emiliano Marino is third in race one but then only seventh in race two. Marcelo Ciarrochi matches Moggia’s results to remain in contention.

Race 1: 1 Moggia; 2 Ciarrocchi; 3 Marino; 4 Dominici; 5 Lima; 6 Beguiristain
Race 2: 1 Ciarrocchi; 2 Moggia; 3 Bundziak; 4 Rolando; 5 Conta; 6 Lima
Standings: Moggia, 96; Marino, 84; Ciarrocchi, 79; Dominici, 55; Lima, 43; Cabrera, 39
Next round: Rio Hondo (6-7 June)

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Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

For the second consecutive European F3 round, the three races at Hockenheim were won by three different drivers, and with having dominated the podium across the weekend, the trio have cemented themselves as early title contenders split by just 12 points.

As at Silverstone, Felix Rosenqvist was quickest in qualifying for all three races, but in race one it was Antonio Giovinazzi that scored his first win of the year with a first-lap pass in the wet. In races two and three the Italian recovered from the third row of the grid to finish third and keep up a 100 per cent podium record this season and retain the points lead.

Rosenqvist – racing at Hockenheim for the 10th time in his F3 career – was able to convert pole into a commanding victory in a dry race two, but was made to settle for second in the wet again in race three by Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque rookie improved throughout his maiden race weekend at the German circuit, from third to race one, to second in race two and then his second victory of the campaign. He’s now just five points behind Giovinazzi heading the more familiar surrounds of Pau.

Rosenqvist was still the weekend’s top scorer and is only seven points further back. His 92 points are exactly twice as many as the next highest-scoring driver Jake Dennis, who was fourth in race one but further back later on. Silverstone debut winner George Russell scored just two points all weekend after a nightmare pair of qualifying sessions.

Maximilian Gunther took his turn to shine on home ground, qualifying third for all three races. He would fail to finish on the podium (denied by a last lap spin in race three) but still took a fourth and two fifths. Peter Allen

Round 2/11 ? Hockenheim, Germany
Race 1: 1 Giovinazzi; 2 Rosenqvist; 3 Leclerc; 4 Dennis; 5 Gunther; 6 Stroll
Race 2: 1 Rosenqvist; 2 Leclerc; 3 Giovinazzi; 4 Gunther; 5 Ilott; 6 Ferrucci
Race 3: 1 Leclerc; 2 Rosenqvist; 3 Giovinazzi; 4 Jensen; 5 Gunther; 6 Stroll
Standings: Giovinazzi, 106; Leclerc, 101; Rosenqvist, 92; Dennis, 46; Russell, 41; Stroll, 36
Next round: Pau (15-17 May)

Auto GP:?Regalia and Pizzonia share wins as new season kicks off at the Hungaroring

Photo: Auto GP

The sixth edition of Auto GP has begun with a now?traditional support slot at?the Hungarian round of World Touring Car Championship. Although the grid size decreased to nine, the field still featured established single-seater racers such as ex-F1 racer Antonio Pizzonia, GP2 regular Johnny Cecotto and?2013 GP3 runner-up Facu Regalia.

Starting from pole, Zele’s Pizzonia dominated most of the wet race one, leading the field until the final lap, when a mistake cost him the victory as he gifted it to Regalia. Pizzonia had to do with second and the podium was completed by Swiss driver Christof von Grunigen.

The Brazilian fought back in race two, impressively taking the lead in lap one, despite starting seventh. As nobody was able to stay close to him this time around, Pizzonia claimed a dominant victory. 16-year-old Leonardo Pulcini had to defend from Cecotto throughout the race but the Italian?s position became safe when Cecotto lost significant amount of time due to a spin. However, the former GP2 driver did not lose his place and he completed the podium.

Taking first and second, Pizzonia is the initial leader of the championship with Regalia and Pulcini being their closest pursuers.

Round 1/6 – Hungaroring, Hungary
Race 1: 1 Regalia; 2 Pizzonia; 3 Von Grunigen; 4 Pulcini; 5 Cecotto; 6 Sa Silva
Race 2: 1 Pizzonia; 2 Pulcini; 3 Cecotto; 4 Sa Silva; 5 Zlobin; 6 Regalia
Standings: Pizzonia, 41; Regalia, 32; Pulcini, 27; Cecotto, 22; Von Grunigen, 18; Sa Silva, 18;
Next round: Silverstone (23-24 May)

Italian F4: Aron draws first blood with double win, Beckmann triumphs?in second race start

Photo: ACI Sport

Formula Renault 1.6 graduate Ralf Aron made a fine start to the Italian F4 campaign, taking two wins and leading the championship after the first round at Vallelunga. This was the Estonian’s second race weekend of the year – he’s currently second in the standings in ADAC F4.

If his first win was a sublime lights to flag victory, the win in race three showcased his racecraft and awareness. Having started fourth, he shot up to second on the first lap, then passed Prema teammate Guanyu Zhou for the lead, and spent the rest of the race defending his position brilliantly.

Ferrari junior Zhou may have failed to match his teammate, but it was still a strong start for him, taking fourth in race one and eighth in race two before finishing second from pole in the final race.

Aron wasn’t the only ADAC F4 runner in the field. German powerhouse Mucke fielded a trio of drivers, with German David Beckmann being the most successful at Vallelunga, taking a commanding win from second in the reverse-grid race, while teammate Robert Shwartzman finished third in race one and fifth in race two.

Joao Vieira was the pick of the series sophomores, holding off Shwartzman to take second and fourth in the first two races, but was guilty of colliding with Beckmann in race three and was subsequently penalised. Fellow series returnees Bar Baruch, Lucas Mauron and Matteo Desideri too shone with a podium apiece.

A point-less finish?in race two notwithstanding, Aron has a sizeable points lead over teammate Zhou after round one, while four points cover the next four drivers in the standings.?Aditya Banerjee

Round 1/7?Vallelunga, Italy
Race 1: 1 Aron; 2 Vieira; 3 Shwartzman; 4 Zhou; 5 Rindlisbacher; 6 Kanayet
Race 2: 1 Beckmann; 2 Baruch; 3 Mauron; 4 Vieira; 5 Shwartzman; 6 Kanayet
Race 3: 1 Aron; 2 Zhou; 3 Desideri; 4 Baiz; 5 Beckmann; 6 Mauron
Standings: Aron 56; Zhou 31; Beckmann 25; Vieira 24; Shwartzman 21; Mauron 21
Next round: Monza (30-31 May)

French F4:?Moineault takes championship lead in rainy weekend

Just like in the season opener, the French F4 field had to face difficult weather conditions at Le Mans as well with the qualifying and all three races being run on wet asphalt.

Car racing newcomers Alexey Korneev and Sacha Fenestraz showcased their race-crafts by passing experienced drivers Axel Matus and Valentin Moineault to take first and second respectively ahead of the aforementioned sophomore duo.

Another two karting graduates impressed in the second, reverse-grid race. Julien Darras took full advantage of his pole position to celebrate maiden single-seater victory ahead of Nikita Troitskiy, who fought his way up from fifth. Finn Simo Laaksonen and Fenestraz took third and fourth to convert a top-five result from race one into another.

The man of race three was Fenestraz, who confidently led the way during two safety car periods, only to drop down to eighth due to technical problems with his car. As such, Moineault inherited first which was his second victory out of the previous seven French F4 races. Troitskiy and Darras took podium finishes once again in second and third.

Being the only two drivers to finish all races of the season in the top eight so far, Moineault leaves Le Mans with first place in the standings, eight points ahead of Fenestraz. Two-times race winner at Ledenon, Giuliano Alesi had a quiet weekend as his best finish was only fifth. Gruz David

Round 2/9 ? Le Mans, France
Race 1: 1 Korneev; 2 Fenestraz; 3 Matus; 4 Moineault; 5 Laaksonen; 6 Troitskiy
Race 2: 2 Darras; 2 Troitskiy; 3 Laaksonen; 4 Fenestraz; 5 Alesi; 6 Moineault
Race 3: 1 Moineault; 2 Troitskiy; 3 Darras; 4 Korneev; 5 Kressner; 6 Andlauer
Standings: Moineault, 73; Fenestraz, 65; Alesi, 57.5; Darras, 55; Matus, 51; Troitskiy, 48
Next round: Pau (16-17 May)

BRDC F4: Mealin takes lead, O’Brien and Fonseca score first wins

Photo: Duo BRDC F4

When HHC drivers Harri Newey and Will Palmer locked out the front row in qualifying, there was very little reason to suspect that Lanan Racing would have a monopoly on the top three in points after Rockingham.

Yet race one set the tone for a very unconventional BRDC F4 round as Newey broke down before the start and Palmer collided with SWR’s Jordan Albert in the rain on lap one.

The ensuing pileup paved way for an easy maiden win for Lanan’s Rodrigo Fonseca and podium finishes for Ameya Vaidyanathan and Jack Lang, both of whom had started well outside the top ten.

It also allowed Michael O’Brien to take reverse-grid pole for race two, which the MGR driver made the most of, brilliantly controlling the race ahead of sophomores Tom Jackson and Albert.

But the real standout performance came from championship leader Chris Mealin in race three. The Manxman started behind his two Lanan teammates, but picked off Jack Bartholomew early on and then stole the win from Fonseca on the final lap.

SWR’s Zubair Hoque drove an extremely smart race to secure the final podium spot ahead of Bartholomew. Valentin Khorounzhiy

Round 2/8 ? Rockingham, Great Britain
Race 1: 1 Fonseca; 2 Vaidyanathan; 3 Lang; 4 Mealin; 5 Albert; 6 Bartholomew
Race 2: 1 O’Brien; 2 Jackson; 3 Albert; 4 Newey; 5 Palmer; 6 Mealin
Race 3: 1 Mealin; 2 Fonseca; 3 Hoque; 4 Bartholomew; 5 Jackson; 6 Lang
Standings: Mealin, 140; Fonseca, 126; Bartholomew, 104; Palmer, 103; Jackson, 99; Newey, 83
Next round: Silverstone (30-31 May)

Japanese F4: Makino and Tsuboi trade blows at Fuji

Photo: FIA F4 Japanese Championship

The FIA F4 Japanese Championship might be only two rounds old, but it seems it already has its clear-cut favorites.

Tadasuke Makino, who won both races of the opener, swept both qualifying sessions and was set to continue his streak.

But he was denied by his main rival Sho Tsuboi, who fought his way up from fifth to pass the championship leader for the win.

The duo then started the second race from the front row, but Tsuboi was spun around and Makino went on to claim his third win, holding off Yuichi Mikasa.

Having recovered to ninth, Tsuboi now trails Makino by 23 points – yet he still has more than twice the tally of anyone else in the field.

After drawing a blank at Okayama, Shinnosuke Yamada was third in both Fuji races and currently leads the fight for best of the rest. Valentin Khorounzhiy

Round 2/7 ? Fuji, Japan
Race 1: 1 Tsuboi; 2 Makino; 3 Yamada; 4 Ohtsu; 5 Kawabata; 6 Hiraki
Race 2: 1 Makino; 2 Mikasa; 3 Yamada; 4 Shinohara; 5 Ishizaka; 6 Nakanishi
Standings: Makino, 75; Tsuboi, 52; Yamada, 24; Ohtsu, 24; Mikasa, 23; Hiraki, 22;
Next round: Fuji (8-9 August)

Formula Renault Argentina: Moggia and Marino with a win each

Photo: formulas-argentinas.com.ar

Emiliano Marino leads the Formula Renault Argentina standings after his first win of the year at round two at Rio Cuarto. After finishing second to Martin Moggia in race one, Marino turned the tables in race two and retains an eight-point lead.

Marcelo Ciarrocchi, who won at the Junin season opener, joined Moggia and Marino on the podium in race one, while Gaston Cabrera took his turn in race two. The consistent?Nicolas Dominici twice finished fourth to sit third in the standings. Peter Allen

Round 2/12 ? Rio Cuarto, Argentina
Race 1: 1 Moggia; 2 Marino; 3 Ciarrocchi ; 4 Dominici; 5 Cabrera; 6 Dapero
Race 2: 1 Marino; 2 Moggia; 3 Cabrera; 4 Dominici; 5 Ciarrocchi ; 6 Lima
Standings: Marino, 67; Moggia, 59; Dominici, 44; Ciarrocchi, 43; Cabrera, 38; Lima, 28;
Next round: Obera (16-17 May)

Star Driver: Charles Leclerc

We came very close to awarding this to somebody else in an attempt to stop Leclerc from holding the title too often this year, but in the end it was unavoidable. He was a close match for the more experienced Rosenqvist and Giovinazzi at Hockenheim, is just five points off the standings lead, and his drive to victory in race three past Rosenqvist was exquisite. If he was he was that good with such a deficit in circuit experience, what will he be like at Pau?

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

The post PaddockScout Roundup: Euro F3, Auto GP and F4 appeared first on Formula Scout.

Photo: ATS F3 Cup

Malaysian driver Weiron Tan took his first German F3 wins at the final round of the campaign at Hockenheim. He had only qualified down in fifth for both races, but was into the lead on lap one of the first race. Champion Markus Pommer would go on to pass him but be penalised for exceeding track limits, allowing Tan to win. An early retirement in race two, Tan would again pick up victory in race three when compatriot Nabil Jeffri retired with mechanical issues.

Indy Dontje secured double pole for the two main races and would finish up with a second place finish in all three races – enough to take third place in the standings away from Sam MacLeod, who was taken out on the first lap of race one and was then seventh and third in the other two.

Pommer’s penalty left him back in fourth in race one, but he claimed his 14th and final win of the year in race two before mechanical issues forced him out in race three. Championship runner-up Jeffri took third place in the first two races before his enforced retirement in race three.

ADAC Formel Masters: Marschall ends campaign with double win

Photo: ADAC

Dennis Marschall ended his rookie single-seater season with a bang as he took two wins from the last ever ADAC Formel Masters round at Hockenheim. In race one he stole the win away from Maximilian Gunther with a last lap pass, but suffered the opposite fortune in race two when champion Mikkel Jensen overtook him on the final tour. Marschall would return to the top step in race three from seventh on the grid.

In addition to his tenth win of the year, Jensen was third in races one and three. Double pole-sitter Gunther had to make do with second, fourth and then ninth, but did secure the championship runner-up position for the second year in a row with Tim Zimmerman third after two fifths and a second place from the final weekend.

Marvin Dienst finished fourth in the standings having not finished higher than sixth all weekend, while Joel Eriksson took fifth thanks to his sixth podium finish of the year in race two. Marschall’s strong weekend was enough to take sixth, four points ahead of Ralph Boschung, who had struggled with straight-line performance over the second half of the season and fallen from a high point of P3.

Formula Renault 2.0 Alps: Bonifacio and de Vries take Jerez victories

Photo: Fast Lane Promotion

Nyck de Vries completed his dominant Formula Renault 2.0 Alps campaign with a ninth win in the series finale at Jerez. The Dutch driver was beaten to victory for just the fifth time in race one, but won race two from pole position and set the fastest lap as he ended the year with exactly 300 points, and claiming the maximum score for the fifth time from seven rounds.

Bruno Bonifacio put his recent run of poor form behind him in race one to score his first victory since the Eurocup round at Spa at the very start of June. The Brazilian was one of numerous first-lap casualties in race two.

With the field bolstered by Eurocup regulars preparing for their trip to the same circuit in a fortnight, Egor Orudzhev took a third and a second, Matt Parry a fourth and a third and Dennis Olsen a fifth and a fourth. Jake Hughes scored a fifth place for the new Strakka entry in race two.

The battle for P2 in the championship was relegated down towards the bottom of the top ten, but saw Charles Leclerc do enough to secure the place with a sixth and seventh overall (second and third among the Alps scorers) with rival Matevos Isaakyan getting an eighth and a sixth (third and second in Alps).

Formula Renault 1.6 NEC: De Pasquale and Aron win at Spa

Photo: Dirk Bogaerts

Anton De Pasquale is a step closer to taking the Formula Renault 1.6 NEC title after victory in race one on the category’s second trip to Spa this year. Sixth in a wet race two was the first time he has failed to finish inside the top four this year, but was still enough to extend his championship lead to 79 points. That hasn’t been enough to guarantee him the title though, because a third race has been added to the Zandvoort finale.

Ralf Aron has become the Australian’s nearest rival thanks to a continuation of his strong FR1.6 form, finishing second in race one and then winning race two. De Pasquale’s season-long competitor Janneau Esmeijer had a poor weekend, coming fifth in race one and then failing to finish race two after contact with Aron.

Florian Janits scored third in race one and second in race three, while Max Defourny capitalised on De Pasquale’s podium absence to take third in race two.

Formula Renault Argentina: Lima and Rey win at San Juan

Agustin Lima took his first Formula Renault Argentina win in race one at San Juan from sixth on the grid, with Kevin Toledo and Nicolas Cazal joining him on the podium from tenth and eighth respectively.

Race two followed a less surprising pattern, with Guillermo Rey taking his third win of the season ahead of race one retirements Felipe Schmauck and Martin Moggia.

Rey (fifth in race one) has closed to within four points of leader Federico Cavagnero, who was seventh and fourth in the two races.

Star Driver: Dennis Marschall

A major step forward from the German to enjoy by far his best weekend of the year at the final round – quite a common phenomenon for a rookie. He won two races, including one from ninth on the grid – and was less than a lap away from winning a third. Unfortunately for him, the move to ADAC F4 will mean his momentum won’t be as helpful as usual over the winter, but he has certainly marked himself out as one to watch assuming he continues in F4 next year.

Photo: ADAC

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Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Max Verstappen enjoyed an impressive first weekend as a Red Bull Junior in the FIA F3 European Championship at the Nurbrgring. After outclassing the field in a wet qualifying session, he claimed his eighth win of the campaign in race one despite twice losing the lead on a drying track. In race two he took the lead off the start and soaked up the pressure of having four drivers behind him, until he suffered an engine failure just laps from the end. Faced with the first of three grid ten-place grid penalties in race three, he dodged first corner carnage on his way from 12th to third.

Antonio Giovinazzi showed his Spielberg form was no fluke, inheriting his second victory in the space of three races in race two of the weekend, after coming third in the first race. His race three ended in turn one contact with Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman improved on his failure to score in Spielberg, but was only sixth in race one and needed Verstappen’s misfortune to make the podium in race two. His championship lead has been cut to 77 points, but he will wrap up the title next time out in Imola if he maintains a lead of over 75.

Lucas Auer scored his first win for 23 races in the final encounter, and after a seventh and a fifth in the earlier races, is still in mathematical title contention. Closer than him is Tom Blomqvist, who after a fifth in race one, started both of Sunday’s races from pole. A poor start left him second to team-mate Giovinazzi in race two, while he was passed at a restart by Auer in race three. Though his haul could have been larger, he has closed to within 87 points of Ocon.

Antonio Fuoco stole the lead from Verstappen at the start of race one despite starting fifth, but a mistake cost him the lead and forced the Ferrari driver to settle for second. He added two fourth places in Sunday’s races. Spike Goddard also led that first race after starting on wets, but he dropped back again once the track had dried out.

Auto GP: Kiss can’t stop Sato sealing title

Photo: Auto GP

Tamas Pal Kiss twice took the chequered flag first in the penultimate round of the Auto GP season at the Nurburgring, but his efforts would not be enough to prevent Kimiya Sato from wrapping up the series title. Kiss initially appeared to have taken victory in race one after the other top drivers had all been handed drive-through penalties for setting personal best sectors under a yellow flag on lap two.

However, the Hungarian was given a similar sanction post-race, dropping him to fourth and handing the win to Sato, who had come from the back of the grid after crashing in qualifying, despite being one of those to be penalised. Kiss did manage to seal a victory for good in race two, but third for Sato and the fastest lap was enough to give the Japanese driver a 51-point lead, therefore putting him out of reach with one weekend remaining and only 49 points available. Sato has only contested six of the seven rounds so far this campaign.

Markus Pommer scored his fourth pole of the season on home soil, but would have to make do with third and second in the two races. Kevin Giovesi was second in race one and sixth in race two.

British F3: Two for Cao, one for Rao

Photo: Sarah Warwick

Martin Cao and Matt Rao continued their scrap for the British F3 title at Thruxton amidst a new-low grid of just five cars, with the Fortec duo locking out the top two positions in each race. Chinese driver Cao took his first two wins in the series the opening races, with Rao settling for second.

Rao got the better of his rival in the final race of the weekend, which was enough for him to leave Thruxton with a four-point lead in the standings with two rounds remaining.

With Sam MacLeod opting to focus on an appearance in Japanese F3 next weekend and Andy Chang switching to the European championship, Peter Li completed the podium in the first two races, while Camren Kaminsky finally grabbed his first rostrum appearance in race three. Formula Ford racer Max Marshall replaced Chang alongside Kaminsky at Double R and took a trio of fourths.

BRDC F4: Fielding is first ever triple winner

Photo: BRDC F4

Sennan Fielding claimed his maiden BRDC F4 Championship win as the series returned to Silverstone for round five, and proceeded to add two more victories as he became the first driver to ever net a treble win in the category. None of his wins came easy, with the winning margin being less than half a second on each occasion as he was forced to defend a late attack from behind. While he led the first and third races from pole, the second saw him charge from eighth on the reverse grid after gambling correctly on slicks on a drying track. He’s moved up to third in the standings, just 29 points off the lead.

George Russell retained the championship lead, despite only managing a fifth and two sixths, complaining of a mysterious handling issue at a circuit where he won twice on his debut in April. In the opening two races he came out on top of battles with chief rival Raoul Hyman, but the South African finished a close second to Fielding in race three, enabling him to close to within 11 points of Russell with three rounds remaining.

Struan Moore twice joined Fielding on the podium, following him across the line for second in race one and taking third in race three. It was Brazilian rookie Gaetano Di Mauro who pushed Fielding home in race two, while Arjun Maini and Will Palmer completed the podium in races one and two respectively, the latter coming from 20th on the grid on slicks after a race one retirement. Euroformula Open star Alex Palou showed pace on his debut for usual team-mate Sean Walkinshaw’s team, claiming a fourth and a fifth from the two main races.

Formula Masters China: Solomon gets two more wins

Photo: Formula Masters China Series

Matt Solomon closed on Formula Masters China Series leader James Munro as he added his third and fourth consecutive wins at Sepang. The Hong Kong driver beat his New Zealand rival in the wet opening race and the dry second encounter. Solomon then finished second in race three, with Munro only fourth. Munro, who began the year with six straight wins, is now 14 points ahead in the standings with two rounds remaining.

Jake Parsons impressed on his debut in the series, having previously won four from four in the AsiaCup opener at the same circuit. He claimed pole for the opening race but spun off, dropping him to fourth. He took third in race two, before overhauling Solomon to win the final race.

Dan Wells completed the podium in races one and three, but was unable to start race two due to a wishbone failure. ADAC Formel Masters regular Philip Hamprecht scored a best result of fifth on his maiden appearance.

F4 Sudamericana: Ponte picks up two wins at El Pinar

Photo: F4 Sudamericana

Experienced Argentinian driver Martin Ponte turned up to F4 Sudamericana’s return to El Pinar for round three and won both races. Points leader Bruno Baptista was third in the opening race and then second in race two, increasing his lead over fellow Brazilian Felipe Ortiz, who had to make do with a fourth and a third.

Uruguayan driver Miguel Wholer finished a close second to fellow debutant Ponte in race one, but finished sixth and last in race two, a lap down after an early incident.

Formula Renault Argentina: Mallo holds off rivals for two Resistencia wins

Manuel Mallo claimed his first two wins in Formula Renault Argentina at the Resistencia round. Starting from pole, he won the first by a narrow margin from Martin Moggia, and won the second also by less than half a second, this time in front of Guillermo Rey.

Championship leader Federico Cavagnero retired from race one, but finished third in race two to give him a 13-point lead over Mallo, who is up to second with Rey a further five back in third. Miguel Calamari and Felipe Schmauk have dropped to fourth and fifth after both failing to finish race two following top five finishes in race one.

F3 Cup: Sowery forced to settle for second at Brands Hatch

F3 Cup leader Toby Sowery had to make do with two second places at Brands Hatch behind experienced campaigner Tristan Cliffe. Car racing rookie Sowery twice took the lead off the start ahead of pole-sitter Cliffe, but lacked the same pace as the 33-year-old, who took his first two wins of the season. Lanan driver Sowery still has a 51-point lead over Cliffe in the standings, with two rounds remaining.

Star Driver: Sennan Fielding

Up to now, Fielding had been a frontrunner in BRDC F4 without being able to get a win, but he finally made that breakthrough in style at Silverstone. His speed wasn’t dominant, but he had to out-race a rival in a last-lap tussle on every occasion, managing to survive under pressure. If he can keep up something close to that form and be a consistent frontrunner, he could be a real threat in the title run-in.

Photo: BRDC F4

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