Home Featured VAR’s Colapinto claims F3 win at Imola with last-lap move

VAR’s Colapinto claims F3 win at Imola with last-lap move

by Ida Wood

Photo: Formula Motorsport Limited

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Franco Colapinto won the FIA Formula 3 sprint race at Imola in a hectic last lap.

Colapinto started from reversed grid pole and was able to hold on to the lead going into the first corner. Behind him, Ido Cohen dropped behind Caio Collet, Kush Maini and Victor Martins due to a slow getaway. Cohen would yet lose another place in favour of Isack Hadjar, crossing the start-finish line after the opening lap of the race in sixth place.

In the middle of the pack, Ollie Bearman lost several positions as he ran off at the Tamburello chicane while battling with Roman Stanek for 12th and Reece Ushijima went into the gravel exiting the first Rivazza.

Following that choatic opening lap, MP Motorsport’s Collet pursued Colapinto and passed him for the lead on lap four.

Collet tried to push, but Colapinto was able to stay within DRS distance. Meanwhile, Hadjar was making up places as he overtook Martins and then Maini to move up to third. Maini was later handed a drive-through penalty for being out of his grid box at the start and, therefore, would drop to the back of the pack as he served it.

On lap seven, two separate incidents led to Zak O’Sullivan and Pepe Marti ending up in the gravel at Rivazza. The virtual safety car and then the safety car were deployed, and the race resumed on lap 10.

By lap 13 it was back under yellow again as Ushijima ran into the back of Federico Malvestiti at the Tamburello chicane, bringing both drivers’ race to an end. Moments earlier Cohen had clashed with Kaylen Frederick, and required a new front wing.

Racing resumed with four laps to go in the 20-lap race, and Collet held on to the lead while Hadjar pressured Colapinto for second. Several drivers ran wide at the exit of the Villeneuve chicane running over the braking reference boards, which led to a brief VSC.

The green flag was waved again with two laps to go, and Colapinto reclaimed the lead down the main straight going into the last lap. Hadjar tried to take advantage and went to pass Collet too, but they collided and ended up in Tamburello’s gravel trap. Martins and Jak Crawford inherited second and third place respectively as a consequence of the incident.

Race result (20 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Franco Colapinto Van Amersfoort Racing 36m28.273s
2 Victor Martins ART Grand Prix +2.640s
3 Jak Crawford Prema +2.700s
4 Roman Stanek Trident +3.634s
5 Isack Hadjar Hitech GP +4.088s
6 Zane Maloney Trident +4.651s
7 Oliver Rasmussen Trident +5.156s
8 Kaylen Frederick Hitech GP +5.500s
9 Alexander Smolyar MP Motorsport +5.844s
10 Rafael Villagomez Van Amersfoort Racing +6.420s
11 Francesco Pizzi Charouz Racing System +6.614s
12 David Vidales Campos Racing +6.990s
13 Ollie Bearman Prema +7.185s
14 Arthur Leclerc Prema +7.663s
15 Brad Benavides Carlin +9.341s
16 William Alatalo Jenzer Motorsport +10.261s
17 Hunter Yeany Campos Racing +10.901s
18 David Schumacher Charouz Racing System +11.372s
19 Laszlo Toth Charouz Racing System +13.988s
20 Kush Maini MP Motorsport +15.008s
21 Enzo Trulli Carlin +15.913s
22 Nazim Azman Hitech GP +16.253s
23 Ido Cohen Jenzer Motorsport +21.137s
24 Caio Collet MP Motorsport +1 lap
Ret Gregoire Saucy ART Grand Prix
Ret Federico Malvestiti Jenzer Motorsport
Ret Reece Ushijima Van Amersfoort Racing
Ret Zak O’Sullivan Carlin
Ret Pepe Marti Campos Racing
Fastest lap: Bearman, 1m33.573s

Championship standings
1 Martins 34   2 Leclerc 24   3 Colapinto 22   4 Bearman 17   5 Hadjar 16   6 Saucy 15   7 Juan Manuel Correa 14   8 Crawford 14   9 Maloney 13   10 Smolyar 10