Tramnitz wins Monza F3 sprint race to boost runner-up hopes

Photo: Red Bull

Tim Tramnitz won the last sprint race of the FIA Formula 3 season at Monza to boost his hopes of finishing second in the championship.

The Red Bull junior started from third and didn’t make as good a launch as fellow front-row starter Tuukka Taponen, who was able to get down the inside of front-row starters Laurens van Hoepen and Martinius Stenshorne, only to run straight on. Van Hoepen and Stenshorne also cut across the apex of Turn 2; van Hoepen was first to Turn 4, only for Stenshorne to get the cutback and claim the lead.

The safety car was deployed at the end of the first lap after Ivan Domingues had crashed into the wall at Turn 1, while Brad Benavides had to pit for a new front wing after running into the back of Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at Ascari, punting him through the gravel.

Stenshorne got a good gap at the restart while van Hoepen was able to hold off Tramnitz into Turn 1 but not at Turn 4, where the MP Motorsport driver was able to claim second.

Four laps later, Tramnitz moved into the lead past Stenshorne, while Roman Bilinski was up into third having been seventh at the restart. Just behind, Ugo Ugochukwu somehow kept his car out of the wall when he lost control ducking out from behind Matias Zagazeta

Bilinski got up the inside of Stenshorne for second place three laps later, only for Stenshorne to cut Turn 2 and fight back down the inside of Turn 4. The McLaren junior would give the place up on the following lap after instruction from his Hitech team.

Tramnitz had broken over a second clear of this battle but his efforts would be undone by a late safety car after Noel Leon, Charlie Wurz and Brando Badoer collided trying to go three-wide into the first corner.

The race resumed with just one lap remaining and Tramnitz made an excellent restart to secure his third F3 sprint race win, repeating his Monza victory from one year ago.

Bilinski held off Stenshorne for second while van Hoepen finished fourth. Alessandro Giusti tried to take fifth from Zagazeta but ended up cutting Turn 2, and then losing fifth to Mari Boya into Ascari.

Nikola Tsolov – fighting with Boya and Tramnitz for second in the championship – tried to follow his rival past Boya into Parabolica. Giusti ran wide and then cut-back, leading Tsolov to run into the back of him and then spin, falling to 23rd.

Champion Rafael Camara worked his way from 30th and last on the grid to finish 12th.

Race results (18 laps)