Jack Aitken (RP Motorsport) Wins Exciting Spa Scrap

Briton Aitken beat Pulcini (Campos Racing) and Habsburg (Drivex) to win race one at Spa-Francorchamps. Sathienthirakul and Fioravanti (RP Motorsport) rounded off the top-five. Habsburg claimed rookie honors.

Spa-Francorchamps lived up to expectations on Saturday, providing an action-packed, eventful first race of the weekend. Dramatic changes in position, slipstreams,… Formula 3 racing at its best.

On Friday, Leonardo Pulcini (Campos Racing) secured another pole position for Campos Racing smashing the existing pole position time as the Italian driver improved it by almost three seconds. Behind were Ferdinand Habsburg (Drivex), Diego Menchaca (Campos Racing) and the trio of RP Motorsport drivers, Jack Aitken, Damiano Fioravanti and Tanart Sathienthirakul.

Today, as the lights went out and the field rushed to La Source, Habsburg passed Pulcini for the lead. But, after the first lap, Pulcini retook the lead with Habsburg dropping to fourth as he was overtaken by Aitken and Sathienthirakul along the Kemmel straight.

Then, two drivers crashed. Antoni Ptak (RP Motorsport) had a clash with his fellow countryman Igor Walilko (Fortec Motorsports), with Antoni´s race
coming to an early end. Shortly after, Russia´s Nikita Zlobin had a big crash in his Teo Martín Motorsport car at the Raidillon. Fortunately Florescu walked away uninjured from his heavy crash but the safety car was deployed.

After a few laps, when the race went green again, Pulcini, Aitken, Sathienthirakul and Habsburg put on an amazing battle. Habsburg immediately passed Tanart for third. Pulcini and Aitken passed and repassed each other no less than five times. Finally the British driver took the lead and pulled away at the top as Pulcini was looking in his rearview mirrors at Habsburg, moving closer every lap.

Aitken took the checkered flag first and Pulcini, after Habsburg put him under pressure, came second. Habsburg finished third but Sathienthirakul ended up one tenth behind the Austrian driver, after an amazing final lap. Italy´s Fioravanti finished fifth ahead of Colton Herta (Carlin) and Walilko. They were both involved in a dogfight to the finish but finally Herta claimed 6th place. Diego Menchaca (Campos Racing) took an impressive 8th place. His car refused to start – he was 3rd on the grid – but, despite starting from the pit-lane, Menchaca still scored valuable points. Keyvan Andres (Carlin) and Enaam Ahmed (DAV Racing) rounded out the top ten. Ahmed, on his debut in the series, claimed his first top ten finish in the Euroformula Open.

Habsburg, Herta and Andres made up the Rookie Trophy podium.

 

Race 1

1^st, No. 4, Jack Aitken, GBR^, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312, 14 laps, 35:54.749

2^nd, No. 8, Leonardo Pulcini^, ITA, Campos Racing, Dallara F312, Gap: 4.745

3^rd, No. 62, Ferdinand Habsburg*^, AUT, Drivex School, Dallara F312, Gap: 6.042

4^th, No. 5, Tanart Sathienthirakul^, THA, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312, Gap: 6.157

5^th, No. 3, Damiano Fioravanti^, ITA, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312, Gap: 8.012

6^th, No. 98, Colton Herta*, USA, Carlin, Dallara F312, Gap: 10.432

7^th, No. 37, Igor Walilko^, POL, Fortec Motorsports, Dallara F312, Gap: 10.986

8^th, No. 7, Diego Menchaca^, MEX, Campos Racing, Dallara F312, Gap: 16.934

9^th, No. 47, Keyvan Andres*, GER, Carlin, Dallara F312, Gap: 23.698

10^th, No. 65, Enaam Ahmed*, GBR, DAV Racing, Dallara F312, Gap: 24.685

11^th, No. 20, Danil Pronenko*^, RUS, BVM Racing, Dallara F312, Gap: 29.839

12^th, No. 11, Petru Florescu*, ROU, Teo Martin Motorsport, Dallara F312, Gap: 30.342

13^th, No. 10, Tatiana Calderon, COL, Teo Martin Motorsport, Dallara F312, Gap: 30.587

14^th, No. 27, Kang Ling, CHN, DAV Racing, Dallara F312, Gap: 31.070

15^th, No. 51, Ameya Vaidyanathan*, IND, Carlin, Dallara F312, Gap: 43.701

16^th, No. 9, Gulhuseyn Abdullayev*^, AZE, Campos Racing, Dallara F312, Gap: 56.198

17^th, No. 15, Alex Liang*, Team West-Tec, Dallara F312, Gap: 1:28.399

18^th, No. 2, Kantadhee Kusiri^, THA, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312, Gap: 1 lap

 

Not Classified

No. 6, Julio Moreno^, ECU, Campos Racing, Dallara F312, Lap 9

No. 14, Jose Manuel Vilalta, MEX, Teo Martin Motorsport, Dallara F312, Lap 6

No. 18, Daniele Cazzaniga*, ITA, DAV Racing, Dallara F312, Lap 4

No. 1, Antoni Ptak^, POL, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312, Lap 1

No. 72, Nikita Zlobin, RUS, Teo Martin Motorsport, Dallara F312, Lap 1

 

Fastest Lap

No. 62, Ferdinand Habsburg*^, AUT, Drivex School, Dallara F312, Lap 7, 2:15.129, 186:596 kph

 

^ Spanish Formula

• Rookie