With his Dallara-Mercedes, Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix) scored a victory at the return of the Formula 3 Euro Series to the 3.696 kilometres long circuit at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. At the end of the 22 race laps, the 19-year old Frenchman had a margin of more than ten seconds over second-placed Valtteri Bottas (ART Grand Prix). Spaniard Roberto Merhi (Manor Motorsport) crossed the finish line in third place. With his fifth victory of the current season, Bianchi extended his championship total to 60 points. Thus, he has 23 points more than Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport), who finished fourth and remains second in the points’ standings.
The ninth season round was already decided after the start. From pole position, Bianchi won the dash to the first corner and immediately pulled clear from the rest of the field. Behind him, Bottas came out on top in the battle for second place. The Finn, who moves up to fourth in the overall standings, was the best-placed rookie at Oschersleben ahead of fifth-placed Alexander Sims (Mücke Motorsport). The fastest driver with a Volkswagen engine was Frenchman Jean Karl Vernay (Signature) in sixth.
Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix): “The race was fantastic: pole position, fastest race lap and victory, it couldn’t have been better. However, it wasn’t easy. One has to stay focussed throughout the race, because otherwise, you quickly can get off the track. With this success, I could extend my lead in the points’ standings.”
Valtteri Bottas (ART Grand Prix): “Jules was incredibly quick, I didn’t have a chance. Other than me, he had new tyres, but that doesn’t mean a difference of ten seconds. I have to be happy with my second place. I am still a rookie and improving all the time.”
Roberto Merhi (Manor Motorsport): “My start was good, I could battle with Valtteri Bottas for second place. Unfortunately, he came out on top. After that, I tried to follow him, but I made a mistake on lap ten or so and I was briefly off the track. Then, I concentrated on bringing third place home.”
Air temperature: 28.4 °C Track temperature: 32.7 °C
