Its the first full team lock out since Sochi 2019 for Formula 3, with Trident at their home race, but was able to take two of the podium spots with Sami Meguetounif taken his maiden win at Imola in the 2024 Imola F3 Feature Race.
A chaotic sprint race yesterday saw Noel León receive a penalty for weaving for today’s race, and moved Oliver Goethe and Tim Tramnitz up the podium yesterday.
Coming into the 2024 Imola F3 Feature race with 22 laps with all the full points on the line, as mention last time a team locked out was at Sochi 2019 with Trident at their home race, and alongside Prema locking out the following 3 from P5-P7.
It was a slow start on the formation lap, which led the top 3 to wait a hefty amount of time at the grid, while the back mark drivers just coming around the final corner to get into position.
Top 5 in the standing by 7 points difference at the start of the race with all of the drivers in various positions on the grid, few out of place due to not preforming well in qualifying on Friday.
At Lights Out
It looked to be a slow start off the line for most of the drivers in the 2024 Imola F3 Feature race, but the three Tridents still able to lead the grid forward, one driver who didn’t have the best start was Gabriele Minì who looked to have half stalled at the start thus dropping down 6 places on the grid.
Ramos and Leonardo Fornaroli were able after the first lap to drop out of DRS, leaving the final trident of Sami Meguetounif fighting to Campos and sprint race winner Oliver Goethe and two of the PREMA drivers.
With the help of DRS Fornaroli takes the lead ahead of his teammate an italian driving for an Italian team.
Goethe was able to overtake the first Trident and then similar to Fornaroli with the DRS the Campos driver was able to overtake Ramos to take second currently on Lap 5
Fornaroli looked to shuffle down to P5 on lap 6 after it looked to be that his engine cut out on the straight, but was able to getting it running again
Noel León pushed Tim Tramnitz off the track making the German go through the gravel, León was then later on in the race given a time penalty for this incident
Tommy Smith brings a proper yellow coming to a halt going off the track and briefly stopping before return back to the race, due to spin and a hit with Rodin driver of Callum Voisin catching the rear end of the car on Lap 8. During this Nikita Bredrin getting a puncture dropping down the gird.
After 3 chances Fornaroli was able to take 4th with the power of DRS on the main straight, closing his loses from the engine issue previously. On lap 10 Geothe able to get a lead outside of DRS ahead of the tridents, with Luke Browning able to split the Tridents and Premas to take 5th. And Minì making up from the shuffle down at the start catching up to his team mates behind.
Halfway
Ramos looks to have cooked his tyres, allowing Sami to overtake his teammate with DRS for 2nd position on the grid.
On Lap 14, Fornaroli was able to move past his teammate to take 3rd especially due to his tyres graining but this allowed Browning to put pressure on Ramos with 8 laps to go in the feature race.
Ramos dropping down each lap with the power of DRS from other drivers and his tyres going. Browning into P4 and with Sami on lap 17 having looked after his tyres able to gain time to get within close chances with Goethe for first position.
With 5 laps to get getting close Sami able to take the lead going into Tamborello while Minì able to overtake Ramos for p6.
Sami since the overtake able to create a good lead out, with Fornaroli closing into geothe as well.
Stenshorne received a penalty of 10 seconds which will get him out of the points at the end.
The DRS being powerful with drivers tyres graining, its showing the skill the drivers have with who maintains their tyres better to have better opportunity to push and overtake towards the end of the race.
Final Few Laps
Fornaroli on the charge to try and make it a Trident 1-2 was not able to over take Goethe for position but while that battle was going on this allowed Sami to create a good gap between himself and the rest of the podium.
Mari Boya who started very low on the grid and out of position was able to make spots up the grid during the 22 laps to sit within the points.
With one more chance for Fornaroli to overtake Goethe on the final lap Sami over 2 seconds but the gap was too big for Leo and looks like he might have pushed his tyres too much on the last few attempts to try and make it a trident 1-2.
Its Sami Meguetounif’s maiden F3 win and give Trident a home race victory.
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