Marti takes another F3 sprint race win in Monaco

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Pepe Marti scored his second Formula 3 sprint race win in three events in the championship’s debut race in Monaco.

The Campos Racing driver gained reversed-grid pole position after Gregoire Saucy was penalised for not respecting yellow flags in qualifying, and retained the lead at the start of the race ahead of Leonardo Fornaroli.

Saucy meanwhile fought back by passing Taylor Barnard around the outside of the opening corner to get up into third position.

Behind, Jonny Edgar hit the barriers after wheel-to-wheel contact with Oliver Goethe, necessitating a safety car. In avoidance, Edgar’s MP Motorsport team-mate Mari Boya came together with Hunter Yeany, forcing both into the pits.

With some concerns over fluid leaking from the rear of Boya’s car, it was the end of lap five before the field was released from behind the safety car.

Fornaroli was initially able to stay with Marti after the restart, but the Fernando Alonso-managed Spaniard pulled away substantially in the closing stages of the 23-lap race.

He finished eight seconds clear as he became the first winner of a contemporary F3 race in Monaco since Lewis Hamilton in 2005.

Trident driver Fornaroli held off Saucy by 0.7 seconds as he scored his maiden F3 podium, with the ART Grand Prix driver reducing Gabriel Bortoleto’s championship lead to 17 points.

Franco Colapinto finished just 0.4s behind Saucy in fourth after passing Barnard on the inside of the hairpin on the first lap after the restart.

Bortoleto started and finished sixth ahead of Sebastian Montoya, while Luke Browning got ahead of Caio Collet for eighth after cutting across the inside of the first corner at the start.

After topping Friday’s qualifying session, Gabriele Mini went side-by-side with Dino Beganovic through the first corner and got ahead on the run up the hill.

He hassled Paul Aron in the middle of the race after the Estonian dropped back from Collet, but would be unable to find a way past and take the final point for 10th.

Goethe was involved in further contact that tipped Tommy Smith onto two wheels at Portier and picked up a 10-second penalty but still held on to 17th place such was the gap back to Piotr Wisnicki.

Race result (23 laps)