Photo: Red Bull
Red Bull junior Ernesto Rivera continued his impressive injury comeback with a formidable drive in the FIA Formula 3 feature race at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Campos Racing driver led home Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi and Trident’s Freddie Slater, who closed the gap to championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu to just one point.
It was Slater who started on pole but the British driver found himself slipping down the order as his Trident kicked into anti-stall. Tuukka Taponen briefly held the lead before conceding it to Yamakoshi into Les Combes.
Behind the leading trio, the Red Bull-backed duo of Rivera and Mattia Colnaghi went wheel to wheel through Eau Rouge, the MP Motorsport driver coming out on top at the end of the Kemmel Straight.
The safety car was required though at the end of the opening lap after Matteo De Palo and Yevan David came to blows heading into turn 6, Theophile Nael also pitting with damage having hit the rear of Taito Kato on the opening lap.
When racing resumed, Yamakoshi’s unconventional restart procedure paid dividends with the Japanese driver running wide into the final chicane but still managing to extend a gap over Taponen who fended off a charging Slater behind.
Rivera and Colnaghi resumed their tussle but this time it was the Campos driver who came out victorious. Meanwhile, at the sharp end, Slater was looking for a way past Taponen, cruising down the inside of Les Combes to move into second.
Slater’s charge wasn’t over yet as the following lap he moved past Yamakoshi in an identical move but this time for the race lead.
Taponen began to tumble down the order as Rivera found a way past before Maciej Gladysz, who had dispatched of Noah Stromsted and Colnaghi a lap prior, demoted the Ferrari junior to fifth, Colnaghi following him through.
With eight laps remaining, Rivera became the driver to watch as the Mexican breezed past Yamakoshi for second before cruising up to the rear of Slater two laps later and snatching the race lead away.
From there, Rivera proved unbeatable cruising to victory while his two nearest competitors squabbled over second, Yamakoshi coming out on top as Slater fended off Colnaghi and Gladysz behind.
That move by Yamakoshi meant Slater missed out on a chance to take the championship lead and instead closed to within one point of Ugochukwu who ended the race 21st.