Bruno’s Take: Sargeant has proven he is a true fighter

CEO Bruno Michel looks back at the seventh round of the FIA Formula 3 season and picks out his key topics from Spa-Francorchamps.

He discusses Logan Sargeant and Oscar Piastri’s title battle, and the consistent form of Trident.

A HAIRBREADTH FROM THE CROWN

There are only two rounds left in the season and it’s only a matter of a few points missing for PREMA Racing to take the 2020 crown. All three cars scored points in both races last weekend in Belgium. They added another impressive 56 points to their tally. They enjoy a 188 points advantage on their closest rival.

It’s not to say that Trident are not fighting with a full heart! In Spa, they scored a total of 55 points claiming victory, third place and P7 in Race 1, following pole position on Friday. They could not be as strong in Race 2, but they are showing the competition that they’re also are a force to reckon with. Their fight with ART Grand Prix for second place in the Championship will be intense.

INTRA-TEAM BATTLE

Logan Sargeant has once again proven that he is a true fighter. He lost the Championship lead to teammate Oscar Piastri after Race 1 in Spa and had not look as quick as usual on the day. I must say that his run to Race 2 win on Sunday was impressive. With it, he reclaimed the top spot and is now 7 points ahead of Piastri.

Behind the leading pair, David Beckmann’s incredible consistency means he remains close, but he has to watch out for Liam Lawson who is a shy 0.5 point from him, in fourth place. Also in the race for the Top 3, Théo Pourchaire unapologetically keeps on taking podium finishes and scoring big points. There are 4 races left. Anything can still happen!

CLOUD NINE

I was pleased for Lirim Zendeli when he finally won his maiden F3 race. He had come close to doing so a couple of times this season. He has become the ninth race winner of the season, which is almost one third of the grid. So far, fourteen drivers have managed to claim at least one podium, which is almost half of our grid. And when I look at the Drivers’ Championship, I see that twenty-one drivers of thirty have scored points. This proves that the competition has been fierce again in 2020 and I would not be surprised if more drivers added their names to the list of point scorers and podium finishers before Race 2 in Mugello in two weeks.