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Mixed conditions make for mixed results: Silverstone Team-by-Team Roundup

11 July 2024

Round 7 in Silverstone was one to remember as Arvid Lindblad became the first driver to win every race at a single weekend.

The PREMA Racing rookie was in sublime form on home soil, but he was not only one that left feeling happy with their work.

So, let us look at how each team fared in an intense few days in the United Kingdom…

PREMA RACING

PREMA enjoyed a stellar weekend at Silverstone with two victories

Two wins from two and another podium, PREMA had another sublime weekend and are now closing in on the Teams’ Championship.

Lindblad was exceptional, but Gabriele Minì also performed admirably as he followed up his P6 performance in the Sprint with a run to second in the Feature.

It was not an easy time for Dino Beganovic, however, after he qualified 19th. He tried to make his way through the field in both races, but a couple of collisions, particularly in the Feature halted his progress.

But he is still in the Championship fight and will no doubt be keen to close the 39-point gap to his teammate and leader Minì heading into the final rounds.

ART GRAND PRIX

ART scored just eight points across both races at Silverstone

Since the in-season test, the French outfit have been in great form and things looked to be off to a good start at Silverstone when all three drivers qualified in the top 10.

While they struggled in both races, Nikola Tsolov finished fifth in the Sprint, just ahead of Laurens van Hoepen in P9.

WHAT WE LEARNED: The key takeaways from Round 7 at Silverstone

The Feature Race did not prove to be as successful with none of their drivers’ scoring points in the 22-lap event, meaning Christian Mansell did not add to his 78 points in the Championship fight.

This also means that as a team, they scored just eight points at Silverstone and now trail PREMA by 135.

TRIDENT

Trident showed plenty of promise at Silverstone but left without a podium

It was not the easiest of weekends for the Italian team, but it did have its high moments, which included Sami Meguetounif and Leonardo Fornaroli qualifying third and fourth.

The pair then finished eighth and 10th respectively in the Sprint Race before a late change in the weather conditions in the Feature took them out of podium contention.

RACE ANALYSIS: How decisions under pressure played a huge role in the Silverstone Feature

Fornaroli had been second but ended up in seventh, while Meguetounif crossed the line in P11. Santiago Ramos has his own difficulties finishing both races outside of the points. Both he and the team will look to return to the top spots in Budapest.

CAMPOS RACING

Montoya and Campos showed plenty of pace at Silverstone

The Spanish outfit showed excellent pace throughout the weekend but just did not have luck on their side, especially Sebastián Montoya and Mari Boya.

After the weather conditions changed late on in Qualifying, their three drivers qualified outside of the top 12, with Oliver Goethe in P15, Montoya in P17 and Boya in P22.

Goethe then went without scoring for the first time this season in the Sprint Race when he crashed out while Montoya put in another great comeback performance to finish seventh in the Sprint.

The Colombian was unlucky to wind up in the barriers in the Feature, while being on the wrong tyre at the end cost Boya and saw him finish in P22. Goethe though made the late call to pit from 14th for the Hards and it helped him come through the field to finish sixth.

HITECH PULSE EIGHT

Browning and Wharton were on the wrong tyre at the wrong time at the end of the Feature Race

It was a weekend that started well for Hitech with Luke Browning claiming Pole Position. Unfortunately for the Briton he was hit in the Sprint Race and having pitted with a puncture ended up at the back of the field.

However, there was a great cameo from his new teammate on debut James Wharton, who was in the battle for points and finished P13 before dropping to P18 after getting a 10-second penalty.

Cian Shields also showed good form to start by finishing second in Practice, but he was then spun around on the opening lap of the Feature Race.

Both Browning and Wharton performed well, with the former even holding a sizeable lead out front at one stage. However, they also paid the price for being on the wrong tyre at the end with Browning finishing eighth, while the latter ended up in P21.

MP MOTORSPORT

Dunne and MP showed good pace but were impacted by incidents throughout the weekend

The Dutch team went without scoring for the first time this season, as while the pace was there, they could not convert it into points.

Alexander Dunne looked set to qualify second but with the track having dried out while he was in the pit lane, he dropped to P13. In both races, he was in the running in points contention, only for collisions to knock him out of the running.

It was a similar story for Tim Tramnitz, as he made contact with Browning in the Sprint for which he was penalised. He was battling for a podium spot in the Feature but his decisions to swap the Hards for Wets proved costly.

Similarly for Kacper Sztuka, a collision knocked him out of the Sprint before finishing 17th in the Feature.

VAN AMERSFOORT RACING

Leon finished on the Sprint podium for the second time this year

It was a solid few days for VAR as Noel León finished second in the Sprint Race and looked set to do the same again in the Feature, only for a late change in the weather to leave him in P10.

Ahead of him in the Feature was Tommy Smith, as after pitting for the Hards at the end of the Formation Lap, he finished fifth – scoring his first Formula 3 points.

Rene Rosin: ‘Still more to come’ from PREMA chargers after Lindblad’s Silverstone sweep

However, it was a difficult Silverstone round for Sophia Floersch, who was impeded multiple times in Qualifying, before suffering race-ending collisions in both events.

RODIN MOTORSPORT

Voisin sealed Rodin's first podium of the season with a P3 in the Feature

Rodin also enjoyed a very positive Silverstone as Callum Voisin qualified in the top 10 before finishing fourth in the Sprint and then P1 in the Feature – only for a 10-second penalty to drop him to third.

His teammate Piotr Wisnicki ended up P5 – scoring his first points of the year – giving Rodin their most successful weekend of the season with 32 points.

Joseph Loake could not add to the total, but he showed good pace at his home event and will be keen to continue that in Budapest.

JENZER MOTORSPORT

Zagazeta became the first Peruvian driver to stand on an F3 podium

Another team that performed well across all three days of running with Max Esterson fastest in Free Practice, before qualifying second, as both Charlie Wurz and Matías Zagazeta joined him in the top 10.

Zagazeta then finished third in the Sprint, becoming the first Peruvian driver to stand on the F3 podium, although Esterson and Wurz crashed out of the event.

Unfortunately, none of their drivers could get into the points on Sunday, with the late rain causing Esterson to slip down the order having been in the battle for the podium.

AIX RACING

A late stop from Bedrin gave him the chance to fight for points in the Feature Race

It may not have been AIX’s easiest weekend of the year, but they did leave with a couple of points, thanks to Nikita Bedrin’s late call to pit from the back of the field for Hards in the Feature Race, allowing him to finish in P9.

His teammates Joshua Dufek and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak just could not do the same, with former spinning into a stop during the Feature while the latter finished P20 in both races after starting in P28.