Theo Pourchaire becomes first FIA F3 double winner of 2020 in wet Hungary
Theo Pourchaire has won Race 1 of the FIA Formula 3 weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, ahead of Oscar Piastri and Bent Viscaal.
Theo Pourchaire celebrates his second win of the 2020 FIA Formula 3 season. (Image: Supplied/Formula Motorsport Limited)
Alexander Smolyar was on pole position after a delayed qualifying session on Friday, and rain had continued to fall overnight in Budapest. The race was thrown into chaos from Turn 1, as Logan Sargeant lost the rear of his car, colliding with Smolyar’s front wing.
Australian Calan Williams was another unlucky victim of the Turn 1 carnage, colliding with Frederik Vesti in a tangle that took them both out of the race. The Safety Car emerged and the pack was neutralised after just one corner.
Sargeant recovered into third position, with Smolyar falling to the rear of the field. Pourchaire inherited the lead of the race, and held steady at the restart until Liam Lawson’s car caught fire, bringing out the Red Flag.
Pourchaire kept his cool on the restart and maintained his lead on the drying track, ahead of Australian championship-leader Oscar Piastri.
The Frenchman set the fastest lap of the race twice in a row, building a 1.7 second buffer back to the Renault Sport Academy driver.
Piastri’s focus soon turned to Sargeant, catching him from behind. The American was also going cross-eyed, watching his mirrors for the chasing DRS train of Sebastian Fernandez, Richard Verschoor, and Bent Viscaal.
Verschoor was the first to strike, and he and Viscaal quickly passed Fernandez for fourth and fifth position.
Piastri, unable to keep temperature in his tyres, struggled to keep up with Pourchaire, who developed a 11.92 second lead at the flag. Sargeant was third, and Viscaal dived ahead of Verschoor on the final lap for fourth.
A post-race penalty added five seconds to Sargeant’s time, dropping him to sixth and promoting Viscaal to third for his first ever FIA F3 podium.
The stewards determined that the American gained a lasting advantage by going off the track while overtaking Liam Lawson.
Piastri, Pourchaire, and Sargeant stand on the Hungarian Grand Prix podium. (Image: Supplied/Formula Motorsport Limited)
Pourchaire said “I am really happy to win my second race in Formula 3 - the second race in a row.”
“It is Race 1 this time, so it comes with more points. I qualified in P3 and had a really good start. I was P1 all of the race, and at the end I was quite fast. I want to thank the team for the car and thank Sauber Academy as well.”
Oscar Piastri holds on to the Championship lead with 62 points. “P2 from P6 is a very good result,” he said.
“Turn 1 was chaotic again, but I seem to get good results after chaotic turn ones!”
“I had a little contact with maybe a little damage, but the pace when it was still wet was really strong, and even once it dried up we went quite as quick as the leader today.”
“I’ll definitely take the points and look forward to Race 2.”
The other Australian drivers had a run of bad luck in Hungary, with Williams out on Lap 1 and Jack Doohan out on Lap 3. Doohan also received a three-place grid drop for Race 2, following his collision with Lirim Zendeli.
Kiwi Liam Lawson went out in flames on Lap 4.
Aussie sophomore Alex Peroni scored a solid points finish, crossing the line in seventh place.
