What to watch for in Spielberg

The FIA Formula 3 campaign returns for Round 3 after just a week’s absence, but what should you be watching out for this weekend?

Back so soon?

Race weekends are like buses… We waited six long weeks for the second round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship and now two have come along at once and we couldn’t be more excited.

A 30 car grid has so far produced some incredible racing and plenty of outrageous overtakes. Robert Shwartzman currently leads the Championship but has proven beatable as teammate Jehan Daruvala ousted him in each of the opening two events.

Equally, Jake Hughes and HWA RACELAB’s arrival last weekend in qualifying showed that there is pace throughout the field, with his climb from 25th to seventh a particular highlight from France.

Liam Lawson, Pedro Piquet, Bent Viscaal, Alex Peroni and Logan Sargeant also all scored their first points of the season and it will be fascinating to see who can join them this weekend.

The emergence of Pedro Piquet

The exciting young Brazilian endured a difficult opening round of the season, which followed suit from a sluggish pre-season. But, with six weeks separating Barcelona and Le Castellet, himself and Trident returned as a force to be reckoned with.

The 20-year-old was the closest competitor to the so far dominant PREMA duo of Daruvala and Shwartzman and proved that he was more than a match for their pace, with a searing overtake on the former in Race 2.

Although very little time has separated France and Austria, it wouldn’t be surprising to see further improvement from Piquet.

Overtaking opportunities

Spielberg is much more than just a pretty face. The stunning scenery surrounding the Red Bull Ring is truly breath-taking, but the track has much more to offer than pure beauty alone.

It’s long, high-speed corners can be punishing and require ultimate concentration and precision, with plenty of room for attack. There are three main overtaking hot-spots, with the first coming at Turn 2, at the top of the hill after a long DRS zone. This is followed by another at Turn 3, which allows overtaken drivers to quickly react and possibly re-gain a lost position.

The final of the three comes at Turn 4, but there are also chances to overtake in the middle sector and later in the track, especially in F3, which has proved ultra-competitive.