Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

FIA Formula 3 returned to the track after a long month away with Dennis Hauger continuing his strong start to the year by topping the only practice session at Paul Ricard in France.

The Norwegian leads fellow PREMA teammate Olli Caldwell by just two points in the standings after a chaotic weekend in Barcelona but he doubled down on his impressive speed to go a quarter of a second faster than anyone.

Those nearest challengers were led by MP Motorsport’s Alpine junior Caio Collet who was in the top five throughout the session showing good speed at all stages of the 45 minutes. Even a brief red flag for Reshad De Gerus, who ended up in the wall at turn six, couldn’t deter the Brazilian who impressed as a rookie in Spain.

Jack Doohan was third fastest for Trident with Frederik Vesti fourth, both of whom were hoping for better results in Barcelona and are looking to rectify that this weekend.

Collet’s teammate Victor Martins was the best of the home-race drivers in fifth as the Frenchman races at his home Grand Prix for the first time.

Friday’s Boost Mobile Super Trucks practice at Hidden Valley Raceway was a good session for drivers named Paul. Paul Weel was the fastest ahead of Paul Morris and eight other drivers.

Weel has shown impressive pace to begin the 2021 season starting at Tasmania in April, where he led both practice and qualifying. At Darwin, he paced the ten with a fastest lap time of 1:35.03, over half a second faster than Morris’ 1:35.09. Weel’s fastest lap came on his fourth of six runs, while the points leader Morris did so on five of seven.

Greg Gartner was third ahead of Trav Milburn; both drivers are making their first starts of the season, with Milburn returning after last racing in 2018. Gartner (1:35.21) and Milburn (1:35.35) set their best times on their sixth circuits.

Nash Morris finished eighth in his return to a stadium truck after missing Tasmania due to injury. Craig Dontas was originally on the entry list as the driver of the #45, but Morris ultimately fills that spot in his #94. Russell Ingall, who was the interim driver for Morris at Tasmania, was fifth quickest in the session.

Rob Whyte and Shaun Richardson placed sixth and seventh, respectively; Whyte is back in SST for the first time since 2016. In ninth was Dave Casey, who battled brake issues throughout the session.