Giovinazzi wins at Formula 3 finale in Hockenheim

• Antonio Giovinazzi claims win number six to end the season runner-up with Volkswagen
• Podium at the final race weekend in Hockenheim for Alexander Albon
• George Russell second best rookie in Europe’s most prestigious junior series

Wolfsburg (18 October 2015). A victory to finish with: Antonio Giovinazzi (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) was successful on the final weekend of the season in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship at the Hockenheimring. The Italian won the second of three eventful races at the 4.574-kilometre Grand Prix circuit in Baden-Württemberg. His sixth win of the season in Europe’s most important junior series was enough to secure second place in the overall standings after race two, behind Felix Rosenqvist (Dallara-Mercedes). The Swede had already been crowned champion before the final weekend. In the Team competition, Giovinazzi’s outfit Jagonya Ayam with Carlin (532.5 points) also ended the season in second place, behind Prema Powerteam (912).

Giovinazzi was the best-placed Volkswagen driver in race one on Saturday morning. The Italian finished sixth in dry, cold conditions. He was joined in the points by a further three drivers “powered by Volkswagen”: George Russell (GB, Carlin) in seventh place, eighth for Charles Leclerc (MC, Amersfoort Racing), who had already been confirmed as Rookie champion prior to the final weekend, and Markus Pommer (D, Motopark) in ninth place. The race was won by 16-year-old Lance Stroll (CDN, Dallara-Mercedes).

In race two, on Saturday afternoon, Giovinazzi led from start to finish to complete a dominant victory. Starting from pole, the Italian’s only real threat came from Jake Dennis (GB, Dallara-Mercedes) in the first few metres of the race. Giovinazzi also coped admirably with the re-starts after two safety car phases. After 21 laps of racing, he crossed the line 1.862 seconds ahead of Dennis. Other Volkswagen drivers in the top ten: Sérgio Sette Câmara (BR, Motopark) in seventh place, Russell in eighth, Pommer in ninth and Leclerc in tenth place.

The start of Sunday morning’s third race was delayed by half an hour due to thick fog. When the race did eventually get underway, the safety car made four appearances in an eventful race with many crashes. The race ended behind the safety car after 18 laps. Alexander Albon (T, Signature) finished runner-up, making him the best-placed Volkswagen driver in the 33rd and final race of the season. He was joined on the podium by Giovinazzi in third place. Leclerc dropped back through the field following a spectacular pirouette in turn one, when he lost control of his car at high speed and was only just able to regain it, and eventually came home 22nd. The failure to finish in the points resulted in the man from Monaco dropping a place in the overall standings. Leclerc ended the season in fourth place with 363.5 points. In contrast, Russell had every reason to celebrate: the Brit (410 points) finished second behind Leclerc (533.5) in the Rookie competition.

In total, the young drivers with the 225-hp engine from Wolfsburg in the rear of their car claimed one victory, three podiums and twelve top-ten results in Hockenheim. Over the course of the entire season, Volkswagen drivers achieved twelve wins, 46 podium finishes and 171 top-ten results.

Quotes, FIA Formula 3 European Championship, Hockenheim

Antonio Giovinazzi (I), Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, Dallara-Volkswagen #3
“My starting grid position was on the damp side of the track, so I dropped back to fifth at the start. Then, however, I managed to overtake Jake Dennis and Alexander Sims and claim third place. Concluding the season with a win and another podium finish in the season finale is very nice.”

Alexander Albon (T), Signature, Dallara-Volkswagen #21
“My start was good and because I was starting on the better side of the track, I was able to move up into second place. Initially, I was able to keep up with Felix, but then, it got more and more difficult because of tyre degradation. I reckon that our tyre pressure probably was a little bit too high. Generally, I am really happy with my first season in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.”

Drivers’ standings after 33 of 33 races, FIA Formula 3 European Championship

1. Felix Rosenqvist, 508 points; 2. Antonio Giovinazzi, 412.5; 3. Jake Dennis, 377; 4. Charles Leclerc, 363.5; 5. Lance Stroll, 231; 6. George Russell, 203; 7. Alexander Albon, 187; 8. Maximilian Günther, 152; 9. Mikkel Jensen, 117.5; 10. Markus Pommer, 116.5; 11. Santino Ferrucci, 91; 12. Callum Ilott, 65.5; 13. Gustavo Menezes, 65; 14. Sérgio Sette Câmara, 57.5; 15. Brandon Maisano, 53; 16. Nick Cassidy, 43; 17. Pietro Fittipaldi, 32; 18. Arjun Maini, 27; 19. Dorian Boccolacci, 27; 20. Alessio Lorandi, 26; 21. Raoul Hyman, 14,5; 22. Michele Beretta, 4; 23. Ryan Tveter, 2; 24. Sam Macleod, 2; 25. Fabian Schiller, 2; 26. Nabil Jeffri, 2.

Rookie standings after 33 of 33 races, FIA Formula 3 European Championship

1. Charles Leclerc, 533.5 points; 2. George Russell, 410; 3. Lance Stroll, 401.5; 4. Alexander Albon, 363.5; 5. Maximilian Günther, 288.5; 6. Mikkel Jensen, 271.5; 7. Callum Ilott, 234; 8. Pietro Fittipaldi, 120.5; 9. Arjun Maini, 117; 10. Alessio Lorandi, 116.5; 11. Raoul Hyman, 100; 12. Dorian Boccolacci, 93; 13. Ryan Tveter, 55; 14. Fabian Schiller, 40; 15. Matt Solomon, 23; 16. Julio Moreno, 9.5; 17. Nicolas Beer, 3; 18. Mahaveer Raghunathan, 1.5.

Team standings after 33 of 33 races, FIA Formula 3 European Championship

1. Prema Powerteam, 912 points; 2. Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, 532.5; 3. Van Amersfoort Racing, 464.5; 4. Carlin, 362.5; 5. kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport, 326; 6. Signature, 278; 7. Motopark, 196.5; 8. Fortec Motorsports, 54; 9. Team West-Tec F3, 51.5; 10. Double R Racing, 3; 11. HitechGP, 1.

Comments

comments