F3 Race Report, Spa-Francorchamps
The battle for the FIA Formula 3 Drivers’ title saw another seismic shift at Spa as we near the conclusion of this rollercoaster ride of a season. Luke Browning continues to manage his narrow margin to Mini ahead but both were pipped to P1 in the standings by a resurgent Fornaroli.
The weekend got off to a positive start with Luke setting the pace in Practice in the trickiest of track conditions. The qualifying session was similarly frenetic and the team opted to put the drivers out early with the second set of tyres, giving them an empty track. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out for Luke, who ran wide at Pouhon after losing the rear, leaving him down in P18.
As the drivers prepared for their final flying laps there was a huge queue heading into the final chicane and it was a race against time to cross the line. Luke ended up seventh, Martinius Stenshorne P21 and Cian Shields P26.
For Saturday’s 12-lap Sprint Luke lined up in fifth and got a good start, avoiding the mayhem at T1, La Source, where the cars were five-wide. He gained a place before struggling in the damp conditions, losing out to Leon then Montoya as he ran wide at Turn 4. He then came under pressure from Meguetounif and they both ran wide on the entry to Les Combes, with the Frenchman getting ahead for P7 before incurring a penalty that elevated Browning to P6. Martinius finished in P15 and Cian 25th. Following the application of penalties through the field, those positions changed to P12, P18 and P22 respectively.
All hopes rested on Sunday’s 15-lap Feature but it was a race that would see three Safety Car interventions. Starting from seventh on the grid, Luke made up a place to sixth, earning crucial points to ensure he remains in the hunt heading into the final round. Cian Shields suffered a puncture on the opening lap and having pitted to change tyres he rejoined and remained in P24. Martinius Stenshorne was involved in one of two incidents on the same section of track, Stavelot, and Taponen, involved in the second, came to rest in the side of the Hitech, which prompted the third SC.
Luke now has 123 points to Mini’s 128 and Fornaroli’s 129, with just one round and two race opportunities remaining. The team remains fifth in the standings.
Sprint Race Result – Saturday
Luke Browning – 12th
Martinius Stenshorne – 18th
Cian Shields – 22nd
Feature Race Result – Sunday
Luke Browning – 6th (8 points)
Cian Shields – 24th
Martinius Stenshorne – DNF
Up next, Round 10 of the campaign, the season finale, takes the Formula 3 grid to Monza in five weeks’ time (30 August-01 September) after the summer break.
