A Weekend of Highs and Lows: Formula 3 Barcelona Recap

In a weekend that saw winners quickly become losers and vice versa, Formula 3 in Barcelona shows you always expect the unexpected.  

(Image credits to Formula 3)

In the second event of the double-header, Formula 3 took to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a track drivers know well from testing and junior-category experience. The weekend delivered plenty of surprises at the front of the field, and despite a mixed grid and a few rookie mistakes, it proved to be a relatively clean weekend, with the main drama coming from the fight for the podium places.

Sprint Race

The reverse grid of the feature race took us off the line with Gerrard Xie, Freddie Slater and James Wharton forming the top three. From the front, podium places were traded, but the top three remained the same after the first lap. With a strong pace, Gerrard Xie quickly lost places to James Wharton and Freddie Slater, with James Wharton taking a commanding lead and winning with Slater behind.

Wharton, whose second Formula 3 season started with a crash in Australia, stood on the top of the podium, scoring his first points this season and PREMA's first win in this new era of Formula 3 cars. Wharton was happy after the race as PREMA had had the pace all year, and he was happy to capitalise on it. Gerrard Xie was shocked with another podium to his collection, which makes two podiums in three races. He said in the press conference that with his result, if someone told him about his successes, he would have thought they were joking.

Slater was able to gain ground on one of his championship rivals, Ugo Ugochukwu, as he spun into the gravel, having run off the racing line, resulting in a DNF. Théophile Nael and Brando Badoer featured on the fringes of the points, finishing eighth and tenth respectively. Van Amersfoort Racing had a consistent race, finishing fifth, sixth and seventh, and Tuukka Taponen maintained his top seed position from last year in fourth, with Louis Sharp also collecting his first points of the season.

Feature Race

The Feature Race started with the polesitter, Théophile Nael, taking us off the line, with Ugochukwu and Hiyu Yamakoshi following in second and third places. While Nael got the best start off the line, Ugochukwu had a slow start, dropping down to third. Although the race was interrupted with a Virtual Safety Car after Nicola Lacorte and Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi made contact in Turn 10, the order remained the same as it started.

Ugochukwu did have to battle for third place with del Pino, but managed to get past with the power of DRS. Freddie Slater had a poor day after he was given a five-second penalty for overtaking Enzo Deligny on the outside of the track, finishing eighth in the race. Our other podium sitters yesterday also finished outside the points, in 11^th and 15^th. 

Both Campos and VAR showed good pace, with a one-three finish for Campos and second for VAR, with Yamakoshi regaining a podium after his disqualification in Monaco. This shows that both teams are fighting for the team championship, allowing drivers to consistently fight for wins and podiums. Badoer, Deligny, del Pino, Rivera, Kato and Gladyzy made up the top 10.

Théophile Nael, who gained his first win, was super happy after the race and thanked the team as they deserved it, which was a dominant victory in his second season of Formula 3. He proves that he has what it takes to fight at the front and for the championship, especially after three pole positions; the win was his final job, and he finished the job. Yamakoshi called it a comeback after his disqualification, but wanted to achieve the win, calling it a mixed feeling. Ugochukwu stated that with del Pino behind, he felt like he maximised everything but was fairly pleased with the weekend, even with the sprint race DNF.

Championship Standings

Freddie Slater and Ugo Ugochukwu were level on points after the sprint race in the championship fight. However, with Slater's penalty and Ugochukwu's podium finish in the feature race, he still leads the field. A successful win from Théophile Nael in the feature race means he goes to second. Bruno del Pino, with his consistent performance in the races, is third, with Slater in fourth, one point shy of del Pino. Brando Badoer rounds out the top five.

After a successful weekend at their home Grand Prix, Campos leads the way in the Teams' Standings. Van Amersfoort Racing is second, Rodin is up to third, Trident is fourth, and ART Grand Prix is fifth.

With the season not yet at the halfway mark, the championship battles remain wide open. Austria is next on the calendar, followed by Great Britain, and the pressure is growing on the teams chasing Campos at the top.

Article Written by Amy Powis