In sunny weather in Pau in front of a big crowd the drivers in the FIA F3 European Championship were determined to shine in the presence of Jean Todt, the FIA President, and Gerhard Berger, President of the FIA Single Seater’s Commission.

Esteban Ocon on pole made the best start and took the lead in the Virage de la Gare from Lucas Auer (kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport), Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing), Jack Dennis (Carlin) and Jordan King (Carlin). The first lap was marked by a collision between Alexander Toril (ThreeBond with T-Sport) and Mitch Gilbert (Fortec Motorsports). Both drivers were uninjured but the safety car had to be deployed.

On the restart Esteban Ocon pulled away while Lucas Auer had to fend off Max Verstappen’s attacks. “It was pretty hectic throughout the race,” analysed Auer. “Max tried to get past: he was in the dust and I had to go over a kerb. We had the choice between not giving way or using common sense, and I think we both made the right decision!”

When Michele Beretta (Eurointernational) went off, the safety car had to be deployed again, which put the different scraps between the drivers on hold. The race resumed after a brief intervention by the track marshals, but there were no further position changes except in the mid-field where Dennis Van de Laar (Prema Powerteam) pulled off a great overtaking manoeuvre to snatch 13th spot.

Thus Ocon won on home turf clinching his third victory of the year. “Winning in France is very special, all the more so when it’s in the streets of Pau with the congratulations of Jean Todt and Gerhard Berger at the finish,” smiled the Lotus F1 Team Junior driver. “It wasn’t an easy race. I had to cope with the Safety Car interventions, but that’s what you have to expect in Pau. I wanted to win here and now I’ve ticked that box so I have to concentrate on qualifying for the other two races. It’s good for the championship, but not until tomorrow evening can we say whether it’s been a really positive weekend or not.”

Lucas Auer and Max Verstappen rounded out the top 3. “I tried everything, but I couldn’t pass Lucas who did a great job defending his position,” said the young Dutchman. “It’s a really exciting race when you’re right in the thick of it. Today, I’ve collected experience - and points!”

As Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin) and Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam) failed to score the situation in the championship has evolved. Esteban Ocon still leads but with 47 points in hand over Lucas Auer, and Max Verstappen has moved up to third.

There are two more races tomorrow (Sunday): the first 11h15 and the final confrontation of the weekend follows sat 15h15.