Kirchhofer cruises to Lausitz race two victory after leaders collide

Photo: formel3.de

Championship leader Marvin Kirchhofer took his first reverse-grid race win in German F3 at Lausitz, converting sixth on the grid into first at the line after victory contenders John Bryant-Meisner and Emil Bernstorff were eliminated in an early crash.

Poleman Matteo Cairoli managed to keep the lead of the race during the first couple of laps, but was soon picked off by both Bryant-Meisner and a charging Bernstorff. With the leading duo settling into their positions, Kirchhofer and race one winner Artem Markelov commenced a charge through the field after an underwhelming start, during which both were bogged down behind Tomasz Krzeminski. At some point, Markelov came close to overtaking the championship leader, but a scrappy side-by-side moment saw Kirchhofer remain ahead.

Soon, Bernstorff began to make up ground to the Swede, eventually putting pressure on him for the lead of the race. On lap seven, Bryant-Meisner ran wide, losing the rear wheels of his car in the gravel and coming back on the track sideways. The Performance Racing vehicle then collided with Bernstorff’s car, sending it into the gravel upside-down, but, thankfully, both drivers emerged unhurt.

As Kirchhofer overtook Cairoli on the very same lap, he was the leader when the race went into a safety car period. When Lausitz returned to a green-flag state, the German had little trouble dispatching with the ADM driver and, after two laps, had a safety cushion of three seconds, providing for a comfortable cruise to victory.

With Markelov and Gustavo Menezes behind him, Cairoli was more concerned with defending his position, eventually yielding to the Russian, who strolled past him on the main straight. Menezes came close to entering the top three himself, but was around 0.05s off Cairoli at the line, with the Italian securing his first podium in the series.

Krzeminski crossed the line in fifth place, holding off Nabil Jeffri, while rookies Nicolai Sylvest and Nikita Zlobin rounded out the top eight. As Sebastian Balthasar stalled on the grid and then spun out into the gravel on lap six, Freddy Killensberger managed to take the Trophy class win, narrowly beating out Christopher Hoher.

Race results