[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
PREMA’s Gabriele Minì has had his first victory of the season in the 2024 F3 Monaco Feature Race, keeping a controlled lead from lights out to the chequered flag. The Italian driver held steady following multiple incidents and safety cars to gain the crucial 25 points. His win now takes him to P1 in the Drivers Championship.
ART Grand Prix’s Christian Mansell finished in P2, his second podium of the season and Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning in P3.
At Lights Out
Both polesitter Minì and Mansell beside him were hot off the line at lights out in the 2024 F3 Monaco Feature Race, with Mansell attacking Minì in a bid to take the lead. However, he was unable to do so. Behind them, the rest of the pack made it through the start unscathed, even with cars going three-wide at the Hairpin.
The first incident of the race came midway into the first lap, as Jenzer Motorsport’s Charlie Wurz hit the wall at Portier. The incident was caused by contact with one the Rodin Motorsport of Piotr Wiśnicki. The Safety Car was deployed to remove the stricken Jenzer car, and Wiśnicki was later given a ten second penalty for the incident.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
Racing was back underway on Lap 2 and Minì was still leading across the line to Lap 3, pulling a bit of a gap on Mansell. Further back, Callum Voisin had a shunt into the back of Tommy smith at the hairpin. Luckily, both were still able to run with no damage, and there was no further investigation by the stewards.
On Lap 5, Nikita Bedrin was forced to pit with a puncture and front wing damage. He sustained the damage by going too deep down the chicane and making contact with Nikola Tsolov, yesterday’s Sprint race winner.
Joseph Loake, in a bid to get some valuable points, made great move on Boya towards La Rassecasse on Lap 7 to take P7. Meanwhile, Marius Stenshorne was given a ten-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at Turn 1 on Lap 1.
Loake Building Momentum
Looking to build on momentum, Loake was then lining up another move on Dino Beganovic Lap 8. MP Motorsport’s Mari Boya was also falling away from Loake ahead, now 1 second behind.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
Even on a tricky track like Monaco, there was no shortage of overtaking by the F3 drivers. Noel León was next to make a commanding move on the ART of Laurens van Hoepen at the Hairpin on Lap 10. He was now in P11, right on the cusp of the points.
On Lap 12, there was a quick yellow flag in Sector 3 to pick up some debris from Alex Dunne’s car, which brushed the wall. Neither the incident or the Safety Car affected the racing.
Lap 13, and Loake was now the one with someone on his gearbox. After going wide over the Nouvelle Chicane, Boya was now hot on his heels. However, in order to avoid a penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, Loake forfeited the P7 position. van Hoepen was down the inside of Leon into the points in P10.
By lap 16, it wasn’t much better for Loake with Boya now in front – he was now under pressure by Tim Tramniz. However, the Brit was given some temporary relief under the Safety Car following a three-car incident on Lap 20.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
Three-Car Chaos
Yesterday’s Sprint winner Tsolov attempted a risky move on Leon for P11, spinning both cars in the process. Sami Meguetounif, unable to see the incident at the blind corner, arrived on the scene and attempted to move out of the way. Unfortunately for him, his shunt with the wall damaged the car, and he was out of the race. Meanwhile, both Tsolov and Leon were able to get going again. Tsolov was handed a ten-second penalty for the incident.
Nearing the end of the race, the pressure ramped up. The Safety Car had closed the pack right up, ending on Lap 22. Minì once again got away well, followed by Mansell.
Further back, Loake’s race continued to go downhill as he made move on Boya, but was overtaken by Tramniz in the process. Loake was now vulnerable to Van Hoepen. Luck was on his side, as a bold move around the outside on the tight Monaco streets left Van Hoepen in the wall. Once again, the Safety Car was brought out.
Racing resumed for a last-lap shootout and Minì solidified his place at the front of the pack in the restart. He reached the chequered flag 0.8s clear of Mansell with a 1:28.044, with Browning following in P3. Arvid Lindblad and Leonardo Fornaroli rounded out the top five.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
Minì’s victory in the 2024 F3 Monaco Feature Race means there’s been eight different winners in eight races in this season’s F3 Championship – a record for the series.