Three podiums for Leclerc in France’s “concrete jungle”
Six podiums and 17 top-ten results for drivers “powered by Volkswagen”
The man of the hour in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship is Antonio Giovinazzi. The Italian won Sunday afternoon’s third race in Pau, France. Having previously finished third in race two and runner-up in race one, Giovinazzi has now finished on the podium in all nine races of the Formula 3 European Championship so far. The driver from the Jagonya Ayam with Carlin team also extended his lead in the overall standings. His fiercest rival, fellow Volkswagen driver Charles Leclerc (Van Amersfoort Racing) from Monaco, also enjoyed a strong weekend, finishing third twice (races one and three), either side of a runner-up spot in race two.
Having already one the opening two races, Jake Dennis (GB, Dallara-Mercedes) looked for all the world as though he was going to make it a treble at the 2.76-kilometre street circuit in Pau. However, with four minutes of the race remaining the Brit suddenly slowed down, allowing Giovanni to close the gap and pass Dennis with an impressive overtaking manoeuvre. Giovinazzi held onto first place, crossing the finish line ahead of Maximilian Günther (D, Dallara-Mercedes) with Leclerc in third place.
The safety car made an appearance in all three races in Pau’s “concrete jungle”. Race two was temporarily suspended following three safety car phases and another crash. Prior to this, Leclerc and Giovinazzi had pulled off brave overtaking manoeuvres to pass Günther, thus laying the foundation for their subsequent podiums. Leclerc’s team-mates Arjun Maini (IND) and Alessio Lorandi (I) – also “powered by Volkswagen” – also made a good impression. Maini was fourth in the second race, fifth in race three and scored 22 points in total. 16-year-old Lorandi came home sixth in race one and seventh in race three. Alexander Albon (T, Signature) and George Russell (GB, Carlin) both picked up 16 points over the course of the weekend.
In total, young drivers powered by the 225-hp engine from Wolfsburg claimed six podiums and 17 top-ten results in Pau. Giovinazzi now tops the overall standings with 164 points, giving him a 15-point lead over Leclerc (149). Russell is sixth with 57 points, whilst Albon is eighth with 50 points to his name. The famous Grand Prix circuit in Monza, Italy, will host the next race weekend from 29 to 31 May.
Quotes, FIA Formula 3 European Championship in Pau
Antonio Giovinazzi (I), Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, Dallara-Volkswagen #3“It’s great to get the win here at the Pau Grand Prix. We’ve been pretty quick all weekend but overtaking is tough around this circuit. However, it was a case of keeping close to Jake and making sure to push him hard. In the end we managed to do this and take the lead. I’m thankful to the team for giving me a good car and pleased to defend my lead in the championship.”
Charles Leclerc (MC), Van Amersfoort Racing; Dallara-Volkswagen #7“I added three podiums to my results, so I can't be unhappy. But I also think that we had the speed to do better – but it's so difficult to overtake here. Anyway, I've consolidated my second place in the championship, so that makes it a positive weekend. Pau is a place I like and I had a good time again this year. I look forward to Monza in two weeks, where I'm sure that my team will do a great job again so we can get more strong results.”
Overall standings after 9 out of 33 races, FIA Formula 3 European Championship
1. Antonio Giovinazzi, 164 points; 2. Charles Leclerc, 149; 3. Felix Rosenqvist, 110; 4. Jake Dennis, 96; 5. Maximilian Günther, 64; 6. George Russell, 57; 7. Lance Stroll, 51; 8. Alexander Albon, 50; 9. Mikkel Jensen, 28; 10. Gustavo Menezes, 26; 11. Markus Pommer, 26; 12. Arjun Maini, 22; 13. Brandon Maisano, 20; 14. Callum Ilott, 14; 15. Alessio Lorandi, 14; 16. Santino Ferrucci, 12; 17. Pietro Fittipaldi, 4; 18. Sam Macleod, 2.
