Schumacher claims first F3 win as Hauger extends championship lead again

David Schumacher converted reverse grid pole position into his first FIA Formula 3 victory in Austria as a chaotic race far behind him saw the championship pendulum swing multiple times.

Crucially, Schumacher escaped the DRS from the huge pack behind him after an early safety car following contact between Logan Sargeant and Tijmen van der Helm meaning he could manage the race with a comfortable gap to the rest.

It’s a much needed win for him having struggled with race pace so far this season, although he could have been caught by the rapid Jak Crawford had the American not suffered mechanical issues mid-way through the race.

Eventually finishing second was Frederik Vesti who inherited the place when Victor Martins’ MP Motorsport car conked out on the penultimate lap while chasing Schumacher.

Compounding Martins’ misery, Dennis Hauger drove another brilliant race to avoid the chaos and make the right moves, at the right time to finish third and take his championship points tally to 97, extending the gap further to Jack Doohan who could only manage seventh.

Roman Stanek was the consistent cork in the bottle but he defended each position with everything he had to score fourth for Hitech GP while Jonny Edgar also got his elbows out to claim fifth.

Arthur Leclerc produced yet another overtaking masterclass on his way to sixth from 27th on the grid, passing Doohan on the last lap.

Enzo Fittipaldi did remarkably to keep his car going after heavy contact with Caio Collet mid race but he still scored points in eighth ahead of Olli Caldwell and Johnathan Hoggard who secured his first point in the series.