ART’s Nikola Tsolov secured his first Feature race win and third F3 race win this season at the 2024 Hungarian GP, closely followed by his teammate Laurens van Hoepen. Van Amersfoort racing’s Noel León secured some vital points in P3, with Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli and the third ART of Christian Mansell in completing the top five.
In a nod to the start of the season, the front row was the same as it was for the very first race in Sakhir; the two ARTs of Laurens Van Hoepen and Nikola Tsolov lined up at the front. Just behind them was Championship hopeful Leonardo Fornaroli, beside Noel León.
Like in the Sprint, there was yet another aborted start – Tim Tramnitz appeared to have trouble, causing an extra formation lap. The MP Motorsport driver entered the pits where he started the race.
At Lights Out
A great launch from Tsolov saw him attacking Van Hoepen with León sandwiched in the middle. Tsolov would come out of the fight in the lead, followed by his teammate and León eventually settling into P3.
Further down the pack, the Trident of Meguetounif and Rodin Motorsport’s Joseph Loake suffered punctures in the first-corner chaos, and Tommy Smith was off-track after slight contact with Kacper Sztuka. Our first retirement of the race was Charlie Wurz, who suffered damage in the action and was out of the running.
Mansell was battling the trident of Ramos for P5 on Lap 3, looking for an all-ART podium. Oliver Goethe into the points in P10 after getting past yesterday’s podium sitter Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak. Up at the front, Van Hoepen was on the gearbox of his teammate and in DRS in a bid to snatch the win. By Lap 6, the two teammates had created a two-second gap to León behind, but their podium was nowhere near secure yet.
‘Pay Attention’
Lap 9 saw Tsolov reminded by his race engineer that Van Hoepen wanted the win, being told to ‘pay attention’. While the two are teammates, there looked to be no team strategies at play. Luke Browning, stuck in a DRS train, was attempting to pass Mari Boya for P13. The Williams Academy driver was unable to shoot through the pack like he could in the Sprint.
Fornaroli was beginning to attack León on Lap 11, chasing some vital points for his Championship contention. However, Mansell behind held the fastest lap with a 1:35.691 and was on the hunt.
On Lap 13, Van Hoepen was beginning to suffer from a lack of front-end and tyre degradation in his battle with Tsolov. Goethe was embroiled in a fight with Beganovic for some crucial points in P9 and P10, but Gabriele Minì was breathing down Beganovic’s neck. The Championship leader could do with any extra points he could get. The two frontrunners had once again inched away from León in P3, who now had to defend from Fornaroli and Mansell. Ramos soon joined the DRS train that was quickly forming, spelling trouble for those in the middle.
Championship Leaders Brawl for P10
The two championship leaders Mini and Boya were neck-and-neck as the last five laps rolled round, both fighting for the opportunity to score some points. Browning joined the fight a lap later, after Boya made a failed attempt to overtake Minì. Track limit violations were also beginning to trickle in; Turn 14 was wreaking havoc as drivers attempted to stay in DRS of the cars in front. The black-and-white flag was waved for Tommy Smith who later got handed a penalty, and Mansell up-front found himself with two infringements in one lap.
Lap 21 Drama
Boya would finally get past Mini for P11, but the race would soon be netutralised with Safety Car. Arvid Lindblad, P3 in the Championship, was beeched at the side of the track on Lap 21 after an incident with Matias Zagazeta, who was also off-road and out of the race. Lindblad had unintentionally moved across and into Zagazeta, causing a collision and seeing both cars out with just a couple of laps to go.
The Safety Car ended on the final lap and Tsolov led his teammate away at the final corner to take the F3 Feature race win at the 2024 Hungarian GP. The Bulgarian driver had secured his first Feature race win and third win of the year. Van Hoepen came home in P2, followed by Noel León and Leonardo Fornaroli. An all-ART podium wasn’t to be for Mansell, but he would still pick up some great points in P5.
Photo credit: Formula Motorsport Ltd
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