The 29th race of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship season saw Lance Stroll (Prema Powerteam) claim his 13th race win of the year. The Canadian, who is the development driver of the Williams Formula 1 team, won from Joel Eriksson (Motopark) and David Beckmann (kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport). For Swedish driver Eriksson, second place was enough to secure the rookie title with one race to spare. Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam) was happy as well: thanks to his eighth-place finish, he has sealed second place in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers’ standings. 

At the start, Lance Stroll immediately took the lead and extended his margin to over a second on the opening lap already. While Jake Hughes (Carlin) had a relatively slow start from second place on the grid, Sérgio Sette Câmara (Motopark) made good progress from fourth on the grid to second. However, the Brazilian’s car moved too early and race control soon called him into the pits for a drive-through penalty because of this infringement. Thus, Joel Eriksson inherited second place from Callum Ilott (Van Amersfoort Racing) and David Beckmann moved up into fourth place.

Before Red Bull protégé Sette Câmara entered the pit lane for his drive-through penalty, Alexander Sims (HitechGP) and Nick Cassidy (Prema Powerteam) battled for tenth. Both drivers tangled in the process, which led to an early retirement for Cassidy. Sims, who is competing in Formula 3 for the first time this season at Hockenheim, was classified in eleventh place.

Out in front, Lance Stroll took the chequered flag as the winner for the 13th time this season. Joel Eriksson and Callum Ilott crossed the finish line in second and third place respectively. After the race, however, the Brit was excluded as the amount of fuel left in the tank of his car was less than the minimum of one litre required by the regulations. David Beckmann, the youngest driver in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship field, thus inherited third place from Formula 3 debutant Jake Hughes. Ralf Aron (Prema Powerteam) took the flag in fifth place from George Russell (HitechGP), Anthoine Hubert (Van Amersfoort Racing), Maximilian Günther, Ben Barnicoat (HitechGP) and Nikita Mazepin (HitechGP)

Lance Stroll (Prema Powerteam): “It wasn’t an easy race, because partly, the sun was so low that it was almost impossible to see anything. Apart from that, it was relatively trouble-free. I was in the lead from the start and then took it easily, because I knew that Sérgio was under investigation because of his start. Once he headed into the pit lane, I had a comfortable lead.”

Joel Eriksson (Motopark): “I am really happy with the title of the best rookie. This title was my goal for this season and now, I have achieved it. Compared to the first race, this was a relatively good one. After the first race, we found some things that we could still improve. After it was clear that Sérgio had jumped the start, I didn’t put him under too much pressure. I didn’t want to wear out my front tyres too much.”