Lorenzo Colombo wins in Hungary as Dennis Hauger takes charge of F3 championship
Lorenzo Colombo has earned his first Formula 3 victory, taking the first race of the weekend in Hungary ahead of Ayumu Iwasa and Olli Caldwell.
Lorenzo Colombo has taken his maiden victory in the 2021 FIA Formula 3 season. (Formula Motorsport)
Johnny Edgar started the reverse-grid race on pole ahead of Colombo, the pair duelling it out to the first turn with Edgar inching ahead into the lead.
Edgar held a steady advantage over Colombo until lap eight, when the Italian pulled into the top spot around the outside of turn one.
It went from bad to worse for Edgar in a manner of seconds, facing a power failure and retiring from the race at the next corner.
Championship leader Dennis Hauger started the reverse-grid outing in eleventh, and made up two spots off the start as he passed Jack Doohan and Frederik Vesti.
With Edgar's retirement, Hauger was up to eighth, which quickly improved as he made his way past David Schumacher.
Rival Vesti lost power on lap sixteen, suffering a heartbreaking blow to his championship effort as he retired from the race.
Lorenzo Colombo leads the FIA Formula 3 field to his maiden victory. (Formula Motorsport)
The Safety Car emerged to neutralise the pack as Vesti's car was cleared, with Colombo facing his first challenge since taking the lead of the race.
He held on well at the restart as Hauger passed Smolyar for sixth and Jack Doohan was past Schumacher for eighth.
Colombo took the chequered flag, earning his first points, podium, and race victory in Formula 3 - as well as the first victory for his Campos team.
"My first time on the podium and my first win as well – there is no better way to do it," said Colombo.
"This win goes to Adrian Campos Snr. After he passed away, we kept pushing and now the results are coming."
"That’s a good motivation for us to keep pushing like this and to keep improving the car."
"I hope that I can gain places in Race 2 and get some points."
Lorenzo Colombo, Ayumu Iwasa, and Olli Caldwell on the podium in Hungary. (Formula Motorsport)
Iwasa took second and Caldwell completed the podium.
After his blistering race, Hauger now holds a 40-point lead of the championship ahead of Caldwell. Jack Doohan is third, tied on 74 points with Vesti.
Doohan finished ninth after Schumacher made a last-lap effort to regain the position lost at the restart.
Fellow Aussie Calan Williams finished seventeenth.
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