Tramnitz leads Monza sprint from start to finish for first F3 win

Photo: Red Bull

Tim Tramnitz led from start to finish in the Monza Formula 3 sprint race to claim his maiden win.

The Red Bull junior started from reversed-grid pole position and survived a side-by-side challenge from third-place starter Sebastian Montoya, who ended up cutting across the inside of turn two to avoid contact.

The safety car was deployed on lap two after Noel Leon and Nikita Bedrin tangled in turn two, and on the restart on lap five of 17, Tramnitz managed to make a gap to Montoya.

Santiago Ramos came from fifth at the restart to take second from Montoya within three laps. By that point, Tramnitz was 1.4 seconds up the road, and Ramos and Montoya would continue to swap places until a second safety car period for another turn two collision, this time between Piotr Wisnicki and Max Esterson.

Just one lap remained at the restart, with Tramintz holding on to take victory, but not before a post-race investigation had been announced into an undisclosed starting procedure infringement by the MP Motorsport driver. It was alleged he had started the second formation lap early, but stewards found no infraction had been made.

Montoya held off Ramos in the final corner to take a second successive second place finish.

While many of the championship contenders started in the middle of the pack following penalties after qualifying, Dino Beganovic lined up alongside Tramnitz on the front row of the grid but got shuffled backwards during the race and finished fifth behind Alex Dunne.

Sami Meguetounif slipped back from fourth to sixth at the final restart and only just held off Luke Browning in a frantic battle that also involved the top in the championship, Leonardo Fornaroli and Gabriele Mini.

Fornaroli started 16th but was enjoying the best race of the title fighters, climbing up to 10th by the end of lap six before gaining three more places in as many laps.

He was sitting behind the battle between Dunne and Beganovic before Mari Boya leapt ahead of him having gone off the road at the Rettifilo chicane. The second safety car was deployed before Fornaroli could fight back, and Browning would get past both of them on the last lap.

That left Fornaroli ninth at the flag, just one place ahead of his nearest rival Mini, but the Trident driver did also set the fastest lap to gain another bonus point. With the two points for his pole position also factored in, Fornaroli will now start Sunday’s deciding feature race with a five-point advantage over Mini, and seven ahead of Browning.

Arvid Lindblad finished outside of the points in 12th and is now 21 points off the lead, with Beganovic a further seven back.

Christian Mansell’s slim mathematical chances came to an end after he found himself stuck in gear as he went to line up ninth on the grid, triggering a second formation lap. Although he managed to get away, he would have to begin the race from the pits and later picked up a puncture in contact with Matias Zagazeta, finishing 22nd.

Race results (17 laps)