Colombo wins first F3 Race in Hungary, Hauger handed huge title boost

Lorenzo Colombo won the first race of the weekend as the FIA Formula 3 Championship takes on the Hungaroring for its fourth round of seven this season, making it eight winners from the first ten races of the year.

Jonny Edgar and Colombo started on the front row, while Friday’s pole man Arthur Leclerc served a five-place grid penalty for his collision with Clement Novalak in Spielberg last time out and started 15th.

Frederik Vesti also served a three-place penalty for driving too slowly in Qualifying, which dropped him to ninth.

Edgar held off Colombo through the first sector despite challenges at Turns 2 and 4, while there were position changes aplenty further down the order, Victor Martins getting past Carlin Buzz Racing‘s Jake Hughes and Johnathan Hoggard overtaking Tijmen van der Helm.

Colombo took the lead around the outside of Turn 1 on Lap 8 but Edgar immediately lost drive, the Carlin man dropping down the order and retiring at the exit of Turn 3.

Olli Caldwell looked to close up to Ayumu Iwasa after Edgar’s retirement, but the Hitech GP driver managed the gap in the middle sector to ensure Caldwell couldn’t get close enough to make a move into Turn 1 or 2.

Championship leader Dennis Hauger sent one around the outside of David Schumacher at Turn 1 on Lap 14, putting a Trident between himself and title rival Vesti.

Vesti was the next to retire, suffering an issue pulling onto the straight and handing a huge advantage to Hauger, who had already made up five positions by that time.

With Vesti’s ART Grand Prix car parked at Turn 1, a full safety car was scrambled with six laps remaining.

Caio Collet made contact with Oliver Rasmussen as the yellow flags came out and were under investigation towards the end of the race, but the Brazilian driver didn’t look to sustain any front wing damage.

With Edgar and Vesti’s retirements, the reverse-grid for Race 2 would see the Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-AMG Petronas-backed drivers start 30th and 29th respectively.

Hauger jumped Alex Smolyar at Turn 1 from the restart and moved into sixth place, while David Schumacher re-overtook Trident team-mate Jack Doohan around the outside of Turn 2 for eighth place.

Colombo dedicated his win to the late Adrian Campos, who passed away during the off-season, while Iwasa and Olli Caldwell made up the rest of the podium.

Logan Sargeant and Clement Novalak took fourth and fifth, with Championship leader Hauger finishing sixth.

Enzo Fittipaldi held on for 12th despite late pressure from Leclerc, putting him on reverse-grid pole for Race 2 on Saturday afternoon.

2021 Hungaroring Race 1 Results: