Martinius Stenshorne is an F3 race winner! The Norwegian rookie impressed with a spectacular performance in today’s Sprint Race that belied his brief experience in F3 but showcased every bit of his pedigree in the junior categories to date.
Having started from P2 on the grid, he spent the opening laps trading places for the lead with Laurens Van Hoepen before settling into a 20-lap masterclass in tyre management, despite a frantic first half of the race and an intense fight to the finish.
A Safety Car appearance on lap 14 tightened the field again, eating into the hard work Stenshorne had done to eke out an advantage. When the track went green again two laps later, he was able to switch the tyre back on when it mattered most and resist the intense pressure from the chasing pack to secure his maiden victory and Hitech GP’s second win of the season.
“It was a really good race and a great way to come back after Bahrain,” said Stenshorne. “The Safety Car came out just as the tyres were starting to overheat, so that helped us manage the tyres for a few laps until the race to the finish.
“We’ll keep working on the qualifying pace, and on our race pace, and I’m sure we can look forward to a very positive rest of the season, starting with tomorrow’s Feature Race.”
Luke Browning’s race got off to a strong start from P7 but he was forced to retire after just 5 laps. By that time he had already set what would be the fastest lap, standing for the duration of the race despite his absence. He also maintains his position as the Championship leader.
Cian Shields had a more difficult time managing his tyres but he’ll be hoping to roll all the learnings into a stronger performance in Sunday’s Feature Race.
Sprint Race Team Result (Saturday)
Martinius Stenshorne – Race Winner – 25 points
Cian Shields 27th
Luke Browning Retired
