Shields moves up to second in Euroformula standings with his third win

Photo: Fotospeedy

Motopark’s Cian Shields won Euroformula’s reversed-grid third race of the weekend at the Red Bull Ring.

Shields started third on the grid behind team-mates Jakob Bergmeister and Bryce Aron, and slow launches from both meant he was in the middle of a three-wide run to turn one.

Aron had the inside line so briefly was ahead but a stronger exit from Shields meant he took the lead as they went uphill to turn two. At tun three Aron tried passing around the outside but went way off and rejoined still in second.

Bergmeister finished the opening lap in third behind them, with championship leader Noel Leon climbing from sixth to fourth ahead of Joshua Dufek and Francesco Simonazzi who had come from ninth and last on the grid.

Simonazzi attempted to take fifth from Dufek around the outside at turn three on lap two, but went off and fell behind Charlie Wurz.

The top two pulled away after that, with Bergmeister leading a train of cars. Leon escaped that train by taking third place at turn three on lap six of 20 after Bergmeister got tail happy exiting turn one, then Dufek cleared him too on lap eight.

Leon chased down Aron and took second from him on lap nine, with the latter seeming to have a straightline speed deficit that became noticable when he was attacked by other drivers later in the race.

Dufek passed Aron on lap 15 after massively closing in down the pit straight, and Wurz moved onto Aron’s tail on the penultimate lap before passing him at turn five on the final tour. Wurz had got into fifth halfway through the race, passing Bergmeister at turn three despite running wide.

Aron’s final finishing position was sixth, as he ran through the gravel after losing out to Wurz and that cost him another spot to Simonazzi. He dropped so much time in the remaining corners that he remained behind Simonazzi even when the Italian’s two-second penalty for track limits abuse was applied.

Race result (20 laps)