By RaceScene Publisher on Saturday, 09 July 2022
Category: The Checkered Flag

Crawford gets first FIA F3 win at Red Bull Ring

Red Bull junior driver Jak Crawford took his first win in the FIA Formula 3 Championship at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday morning.

He started third on the partially-reversed grid, between Caio Collet and Juan Manuel Correa ahead, and Franco Colapinto and Zane Maloney behind.

Everyone made it through Turns 1 and 2 cleanly, but Rafael Villagomez bounced between two others on the entry to Turn 3 and was out on the spot.

The safety car came out just after Correa got around the outside of Collet at Turn 4.

Oliver Bearman and Pepe Marti managed to gain two places before the field was neutralised, with the safety car coming in at the end of Lap 3.

The three Trident cars ran line astern after the restart, Roman Stanek being forced over the sausage kerb on the exit of Turn 3 by Zane Maloney, who got past his other team-mate Jonny Edgar at Turn 6.

Marti ran across the gravel on the exit of Turn 4 but was able to rejoin, but race leader Correa retired from the race with mechanical issues.

That gave Collet the lead back, and he wasted no time in setting the fastest lap as DRS was enabled for the first time.

Arthur Leclerc got down the inside of Kaylen Frederick at Turn 4 and still managed to set the fastest lap on Lap 7.

Bearman sent one down the inside of Stanek at Turn 3; the Trident driver ran wide on the exit and was vulnerable to Leclerc who took advantage.

William Alatalo retired with a mechanical issue on Lap 8, allowing Enzo Trulli to box under the ensuing virtual safety car.

Collet had bolted and built a gap of over 1.5s, but there was drama behind as Maloney and Bearman collided for the second time in as many rounds after Leclerc dived down the inside of his team-mate at Turn 3.

Bearman was squeezed into the middle of a sandwich on the exit and did well to avoid the fellow Prema Racing driver twice, as the safety car came out again to allow the marshals to recover the stranded Maloney.

Crawford took the lead on Lap 14 as he got around the outside of Collet through the middle sector, while Leclerc got past Jonny Edgar for fourth a lap later.

Zdenek Chovanec spun on the exit of Turn 3 on Lap 15, but was able to get going again.

Alex Smolyar, Gregoire Saucy and Marti had gained six places from their starting position by the end of Lap 17, while Francesco Pizzi was up eight places.

Bearman picked up a five-second penalty for track limits infringements as Trulli was punished for speeding in the pits, but Bearman was still pushing and got past Victor Martins for eighth.

He then got past Edgar to go into seventh, but with a DRS train developing throughout the race any time penalty was always going to be costly.

Crawford came across the line to win ahead of Caio Collet and Franco Colapinto.

FIA Formula 3 Red Bull Ring Sprint Race Results:

Pos.No.NameNat.TeamLaps/Gap
15Jak CrawfordUSAPrema Racing21 laps
210Caio ColletBRAMP Motorsport+0.6s
329Franco ColapintoARGVan Amersfoort Racing+1.0s
44Arthur LeclercMONPrema Racing+1.2s
52Roman StanekCZETrident+2.3s
617Kaylen FrederickUSAHitech GP+6.1s
71Jonny EdgarGBRTrident+7.2s
87Victor MartinsFRAART Grand Prix+7.5s
911Alexander SmolyarFIAMP Motorsport+8.1s
1018Isack HadjarFRAHitech GP+8.5s
118Gregoire SaucySUIART Grand Prix+8.9s
1226Zak O’SullivanGBRCarlin+9.3s
1322Pepe MartiSPACampos Racing+9.7s
1423Ido CohenISRJenzer Motorsport+10.3s
1516Francesco PizziITACharouz Racing System+10.5s
166Oliver BearmanGBRPrema Racing+10.6s
1731Reece UshijimaGBRVan Amersfoort Racing+11.2s
1812Kush MainiINDMP Motorsport+12.4s
1927Brad BenavidesUSACarlin+16.1s
2024Federico MalvestitiITAJenzer Motorsport+17.1s
2121Hunter YeanyUSACampos Racing+19.7s
2214Laszlo TothHUNCharouz Racing System+19.9s
2319Nazim AzmanMALHitech GP+21.1s
2420David VidalesSPACampos Racing+21.6s
2528Enzo TrulliITACarlin+50.5s
2615Zdenek ChovanecPORCharouz Racing System+54.4s
273Zane MaloneyBARTridentDNF (damage)
2825William AlataloFINJenzer MotorsportDNF (mechanical)
299Juan Manuel CorreaUSAART Grand PrixDNF (mechanical)
3030Rafael VillagomezMEXVan Amersfoort RacingDNF (damage)
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