Ayrton Simmons scores first British F3 win after top two penalised

Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Ayrton Simmons won the final BRDC British Formula 3 race of the weekend at Silverstone after Neil Verhagen and Clement Novalak were both given time penalties.

Pole-sitter Verhagen led at the start from Novalak and was able to create a small gap on the opening lap before the pair, as well as Simmons in third and Johnathan Hoggard in fourth, started to bunch up.

Double R Racing’s Verhagen looked set to take his maiden British F3 victory but he was handed a five-second time penalty on lap seven of 10 for abusing track limits.

Novalak was also given a five-second penalty a lap later for the same infringement as Verhagen.

Simmons only needed to hold off Hoggard for the final two laps to inherit the race win from third on the road, which the Chris Dittmann Racing driver was able to do.

Novalak’s Carlin team-mate Kaylen Frederick took over the final podium spot, repeating his result from the final race of the previous British F3 round at Snetterton.

Kiern Jewiss was able to take advantage of Hampus Ericsson and Sasakorn Chaimongkol battling to pass both of them at once on lap three, which moved him up to sixth on the road and fourth in the results.

Verhagen and Novalak were placed in fifth and sixth respectively after their penalties had been added, which Carlin’s Lucas Petersson also received while he was running in the midfield.

Chaimongkol eventually finished seventh ahead of Manuel Maldonado, with Ericsson ending up in ninth after he went wide during the battle with Chaimongkol on lap three.

Race two winner Benjamin Pedersen completed the top 10 ahead of his Douglas Motorsport team-mate Ulysse de Pauw.

Race result (10 laps)