Caio Collet proved why starts are so critical around Zandvoort, as the MP Motorsport driver nailed his getaway to come out on top in his duel with Juan Manuel Correa during the opening laps. Once the Brazilian driver got into P1, he sailed off, finishing four seconds clear at the chequered flag.
Correa brought joy to his ART Grand Prix crew by claiming his first Formula 3 podium, valiantly defending second from a DRS train behind after losing the lead to Collet on Lap 4. Williams junior Zak O’Sullivan returned to the podium with a solid performance in third.
Starting on reverse grid pole, Correa aced his getaway to lead into the first corner, as fourth-placed Collet leapfrogged Gregoire Saucy and O’Sullivan to move up into second. With the advantage of DRS, the Alpine junior saw his chance on Lap 4, but the American driver wasn’t rolling over easily and went toe-to-toe to hold on to the lead for one more lap.
Red Bull junior Jonny Edgar secured his best-ever result in fourth, ahead of Saucy. It was another mixed bag of results for the title contenders, with Isack Hadjar and Victor Martins securing sixth and seventh respectively. Meanwhile, an error from Oliver Bearman dropped him out of the points having fought his way through to the top 10 on the opening laps. He finished 11th, one place ahead of fellow Ferrari Academy junior and team mate Arthur Leclerc.
Sebastian Montoya rose to the occasion on his F3 debut, holding off Jak Crawford to claim eighth as Roman Stanek rounded out the top 10.
Hadjar has gone three points clear of Martins in the fight for the title. Whilst Bearman’s failure to score for the first time since the Spielberg Sprint Race drops him to third, six points off the leading Red Bull junior.
Hoping to achieve his second Feature Race win in a row, Zane Maloney will get Sunday’s Feature Race underway when the lights go out at 0845 local time.
For more on the F3 Sprint Race in Zandvoort, check out the full report on the official Formula 3 website.
