Beckmann awarded Silverstone FIA F3 race two win after Smolyar penalty

Photo: Formula Motorsport Limited

David Beckmann has been awarded victory in the second FIA Formula 3 Championship race at Silverstone after Alexander Smolyar was penalised.

Smolyar had spent the race defending the lead from Beckmann in a bid to take his maiden F3 win, and at one stage began weaving on the straights to try and break the tow.

Before taking the chequered flag, he was warned by his ART Grand Prix team about the movement and race control said it would investigate afterwards.

Smolyar eventually received a five-second penalty for his “abnormal” changes of direction, enough to demote him from victory and down to sixth place.

Explaining the decision, stewards said Smolyar’s movements did not “necessarily” violate the changes of direction allowed by the regulations, but felt his attempts to break the tow did qualify as “manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers”.

“It is hard on the longer straight because you are facing the wind and the DRS works twice as well for the driver behind than it does normally,” Smolyar said after the race.

“I was looking in my mirrors and every time I saw David quite far away from me, but with the DRS he was catching so quickly. I had to look at my mirrors every lap to decide whether I needed to defend or not.

“I don’t think there was anything wrong with it, and I don’t think that I was moving much, but as soon as my engineer told me, I stopped straight away because I didn’t want to create any problems with the stewards. I don’t think it really helps, but I was just trying anything I could to not let David get close to me.”

Beckmann gains his second consecutive win in a Sunday F3 race, with Clement Novalak gaining second and Alex Peroni taking third.

Prema pair Frederik Vesti and Logan Sargeant also gain a place, bringing the latter one point closer to championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Revised race results (20 laps)