F3 - Lance Stroll also wins race three in Styria
Starting from pole position, Lance Stroll managed to hold on to first place at the start and led Callum Ilott and Niko Kari (Motopark) into the first corner. David Beckmann (kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) also found himself among the front runners, but then dropped back to the end of the field following a collision with George Russell (HitechGP) and the subsequent spin. Due to the accident, Russell retired in the pits. On lap three, Mikkel Jensen (kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) and Alessio Lorandi (Carlin) retired. After that, Jensen’s race came to an end in the gravel trap and the safety car was deployed.
After the restart, Stroll remained in front from Ilott while Kari was involved in a hard fight with the drivers behind him. The Finnish rookie driver eventually had to admit defeat to Maximilian Günther in the battle for the final podium slot. Ben Barnicoat (HitechGP), Joel Eriksson (Motopark), Sérgio Sette Câmara (Motopark) and Harrison Newey (Van Amersfoort Racing) also overtook Kari at this stage of the race. Red Bull junior driver Sette Câmara overtook his Swedish team-mate for fifth soon after that. Out in front, Lance Stroll drove an undisputed victory home. Callum Ilott and Maximilian Günther joined him on the podium, Ben Barnicoat finished fourth as the best-placed rookie driver, but lost this position due to overtaking under safety car to Sette Câmara. The Briton was classified fifth from Eriksson, while Guanyu Zhou (Motopark), Kari, Ralf Aron (Prema Powerteam) and Nick Cassidy (Prema Powerteam) were in seventh to tenth place.
Lance Stroll (Prema Powerteam): “The race wasn’t as easy as it perhaps looked from the outside, because there are always possibilities to make mistakes. For instance, I had to be careful at the start. At the restart and in the first few free laps, it would have been easy to make mistakes. However, it all went well. Initially, I tried to build up an advantage and then keep it without taking any risks. All in all, I had a fantastic weekend with two victories and one second place at the Red Bull Ring.”
Callum Ilott (Van Amersfoort Racing): “In this race, it was particularly important not to cross the track limits too often, because I wanted to avoid getting a penalty. In general, my weekend was good. I was able to score many points and I am now second in the drivers’ standings.”
Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam): “My race was by no means boring, because from seventh place on the grid, I had to make up a few positions before anything else. At the start, I overtook two rivals and another two at the restart. Then, I tried to close up to Callum, but I didn’t manage, so I held on to my position without taking too many risks. I am now only third in the drivers’ standings, but the season is still long and nothing is lost yet.”