Smolyar wins FIA F3 Feature Race in Hungary

Alexander Smolyar won the FIA Formula 3 Championship‘s Feature Race in mixed conditions at the Hungaroring on Sunday morning.

After starting on pole, he was able to build a gap back to Zane Maloney and Oliver Bearman who made it a photo-finish for second place.

Maloney made the best start but Smolyar anticipated it and moved across to block him, with Bearman trying to get past Maloney into Turn 3 but running wide.

Kush Maini got up to fourth, chased by Jak Crawford who got up to fourth ahead of Gregoire Saucy.

Reece Ushijima made up ten places on Lap 1, having started P19.

Isack Hadjar struggled in the early laps, especially once he had to avoid an incident at Turn 2.

The track began to dry just before half-distance, with drivers searching for the outside of the corners and the wetter parts of the circuit.

Francesco Pizzi boxed onto slicks on Lap 14, blazing a trail for the rest to follow in the coming laps, but Arthur Leclerc was still improving on the wet tyre.

The Monegasque driver got past Gregoire Saucy at Turn 5, benefitting from holding onto the wets a little while longer, with the dry runners struggling to get the tyres into the window.

He then got past Victor Martins into Turn 12 on Lap 19, with the rest of the field boxing a lap later.

Zak O’Sullivan stopped at the perfect time while in P17, and moved back up to finish fourth after being ten seconds quicker than Smolyar on Lap 22.

Smolyar held on to win once he switched to slicks, though, staying ahead of Maloney and Bearman by 5.560s, while O’Sullivan got past Maini, Leclerc and Crawford on the last lap.

FIA Formula 3 Hungary Feature Race Results: