Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Motorsport
Motorsport
Sport
Megan White

F3 Austria: Aron scores maiden win from eighth in sprint race

The Prema Racing driver, who was on provisional pole on Friday before his lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, had entered Saturday frustrated but confident after a tricky qualifying.

He started eighth for the reverse grid sprint race, but a strong start saw him jump into third on lap one.

The Estonian driver clung onto leader Pepe Marti (Campos Racing) and second-placed Kaylen Frederick before passing the ART driver on lap eight.

The safety car was deployed three laps later, closing the gap to Marti, and he was able to swoop into the lead amid a three-way fight with Marti and Gabriele Mini (Hitech) two laps from the end of the race.

Mercedes junior Aron then missed the pitlane entry at the end of the race, and was pushed back into the pits to take the podium.

Mini, who won the feature race in Monaco, finished second, with Caio Collet in third for Van Amersfoort Racing after Marti dropped several places in the closing stages.

Wet conditions saw the field complete two formation laps behind the safety car, but a standing start followed as it was deemed safe enough.

Oliver Goethe (Trident) stalled on the grid, dropping positions, but Marti was able to get the jump off the line to lead into Turn 1 from Frederick, who started third, ahead of Mini.

Collet and Mini briefly made contact at Turn 3, with the Italian Alpine Academy member emerging ahead, while Sunday polesitter Gregoire Saucy (ART) dropped down the order.

Marti then built a solid gap to Frederick, with a three-second lead by lap five while Aron ran third.

Aron passed Frederick for second at Turn 4 on lap eight before setting about closing on Marti as Mini closed in on third, taking the position the following tour at Turn 6.

The safety car was deployed on lap 11, with Oliver Gray (Rodin Carlin) and VAR’s Rafael Villagomez coming together at Turn 4, ending both drivers’ races.

Racing resumed on lap 14, with Aron hot on Marti’s gear box, and by lap 18 the battle for the win had become three-way as Mini closed in on the leading duo.

But it was Aron who emerged in front as they entered Turn 3 together, with Mini second and Marti third.

Collet then made it past Marti for third, before Zak O’Sullivan (Prema) and MP Motorsport’s Jonny Edgar also made it through, leaving Marti to finish sixth.

Frederick crossed the line seventh, with Dino Beganovic (Prema) in eighth, Sebastian Montoya in ninth for Hitech and championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto (Trident) rounding off the top 10.

F3 Austria - Sprint race results:

Cla # Driver Team Gap
1 1 Paul Aron Italy Prema Powerteam  
2 15 Gabriele Minì Hitech Pulse-Eight 1.400
3 17 Brazil Caio Collet Netherlands Van Amersfoort Racing 4.900
4 3 United Kingdom Zak O'Sullivan Italy Prema Powerteam 5.400
5 12 United Kingdom Jonny Edgar Netherlands MP Motorsport 6.300
6 23 Pepe Martí Spain Campos Racing 7.600
7 7 United States Kaylen Frederick France ART Grand Prix 8.300
8 2 Dino Beganovic Italy Prema Powerteam 8.400
9 14 Colombia Sebastian Montoya Hitech Pulse-Eight 9.600
10 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Italy Trident 10.100
11 16 Luke Browning Hitech Pulse-Eight 10.900
12 11 Mari Boya Netherlands MP Motorsport 11.300
13 10 Argentina Franco Colapinto Netherlands MP Motorsport 12.300
14 24 Christian Mansell Spain Campos Racing 14.300
15 4 Leonardo Fornaroli Italy Trident 15.100
16 9 Nikola Tsolov France ART Grand Prix 16.000
17 26 Nikita Bedrin Switzerland Jenzer Motorsport 16.800
18 22 Israel Ido Cohen Rodin Carlin 17.600
19 29 Germany Sophia Flörsch PHM Racing by Charouz 18.200
20 21 Hunter Yeany Rodin Carlin 18.500
21 8 Switzerland Gregoire Saucy France ART Grand Prix 19.400
22 19 Tommy Smith Netherlands Van Amersfoort Racing 20.100
23 25 Hugh Barter Spain Campos Racing 21.700
24 31 McKenzy Cresswell PHM Racing by Charouz 22.700
25 30 Roberto Faria PHM Racing by Charouz 25.200
26 6 Oliver Goethe Italy Trident 1'28.600
27 27 Taylor Barnard Switzerland Jenzer Motorsport  
28 20 Oliver Gray Rodin Carlin  
29 18 Mexico Rafael Villagomez Netherlands Van Amersfoort Racing  
30 28 Alex Garcia Switzerland Jenzer Motorsport  
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.