Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Luke Browning bounced back from a disappointing qualifying for FIA Formula 3’s title decider at Monza by charging from 17th on the grid to sixth in the sprint race.
The Hitech GP driver came back through with strong pace on used tyres to take the chequered flag in seventh, ahead of his main title rivals Leonardo Fornaroli and Gabriele Mini, then gained another place after Campos Racing’s Sebastian Montoya was penalised five seconds and had two penalty points added to his license for forcing Trident’s Santiago Ramos off track.
Ramos’s points-leading team-mate Fornaroli also benefited from the penalty as he moved up to eighth, and Prema’s Mini was promoted to ninth.
“That was championship driving, I think,” Browning told Formula Scout in the paddock after the race. “I tried my best, the car was amazing, and we only got, I think, eight racing laps. We’re looking at 22 tomorrow. Hopefully with no safety cars in it, it will give me the best chance. But it’s all to play for.”
The Briton described the on track action as “nail-biting” and thinks “it will be the same tomorrow”.
“We’re managing the degradation well and trying to race as cleanly as I can. And no penalties out of this one,” he added.
The safety car was deployed on lap 13 of 17 when Browning was running in ninth, which potentially hurt his options of progressing even further. Nevertheless, he was able to make two more moves once green flags waved on the final lap.
“I was hoping to have a few more laps after the safety car. When it came out, I was a bit gutted because we were just coming into our own. But going in tomorrow, I think we’re in a really strong position. Obviously not positionally-wise, but in terms of pace we are right there.
“We were really hot on the degradation. If it stays in the same trend, we’ve got some new tyres for tomorrow, so hopefully that’ll make a difference too.
“It’s five points at the moment to the lead, and then two to Gabi [Mini]. Fornaroli will pick up two when he starts from pole tomorrow. If you win the race, you win the championship. So that’s what I’m going for,” stated Browining, who believes the title is still “possible” despite starting Sunday’s feature race far behind his rivals.
Fornaroli, who ended up scoring three points from 16th in the grid, labelled the race as “nice” but was not fully satisfied with his performance.
“We recovered from P16 to P9 and we got the fastest lap as well. I’m quite happy. I’m not super happy about the end because I lost two positions because I was struggling a lot with the rear degradation, but still good points,” he told Formula Scout.