Nikola Tsolov and Rafael Câmara lined up on the front row, just ten points separating them in a tightening championship battle. As the lights went out, Câmara launched cleanly and immediately covered the inside. Unfortunately, for his championship rival, Tsolov, he had a poor start with his car kicking into anti-stall. He dropped quickly down to eighth, the car crawling down to Turn 1 as the rest of the field surged past.
Van Hoepen reacted sharply, darting around to seize second with a brave move through the opening sequence of corners. Further back, Santiago Ramos, second in yesterday’s sprint, started to slow dramatically, his car visibly unstable as he tumbled down the order. After a bumpy ride over the curbs, he sustained rear suspension damage, which forced him into the pits. His race was over just minutes after it had begun.
Not a Weekend to Remember
Roman Bilinski, who had started on sprint pole yesterday before getting taken out on lap one, had another nightmare start. He dropped thirteen places almost immediately, then ran wide into the grass while trying to recover, losing further momentum. As he rejoined the circuit, José Garfias spun ahead, stopped directly on the racing line. With nowhere to go, Bilinski ploughed into the rear of Garfias’ AIX car, ending both their races.
Safety Car Comes Out
The safety car came out, bunching the field up as marshals rushed to clear the wreck. Câmara led confidently as they circulated under yellow, with Van Hoepen right behind and Tsolov still sitting in eighth, waiting to charge.
The race resumed on lap eight, and Câmara nailed the restart, accelerating hard out of the final corner to hold the lead. Van Hoepen stayed close, not letting him break away, while Tsolov immediately began climbing back with aggressive moves through the midfield. He picked off rivals one by one, making his way cleanly up to fifth.
More Drivers Slowing
But not everyone was moving forward. Tuukka Taponen, whilst strong early, suddenly lost pace and dropped to the rear with no clear cause.
As the front three pushed on, the battles behind were fierce, with wheel-to-wheel fights erupting throughout the field. Drivers tested the limits, and one by one, track limits warnings started appearing, with violations piling up rapidly.
Another Safety Car!
On lap 18, Nicola Lacorte slammed straight into the back of Brando Badoer, earning two 10-second penalties plus a 10-second stop-and-go. Already carrying 11 penalty points, Lacorte desperately needed a clean run to avoid suspension and keep his season alive.
As the race restarted on lap 21, Câmara maintained the lead comfortably, facing no issues upfront. Behind him, the real battle unfolded as Van Hoepen, Alessandro Giusti, and Tsolov fiercely fought for third place. Giusti managed a clean move to pass Van Hoepen, claiming P3 on the final lap.
Another Win in the Bag
Rafael Câmara secured his fourth pole on Friday and took his third win of the season, extending his championship lead. The win comes at the halfway mark of the season, putting Câmara in a strong position for the championship title. Théophile Naël finished second, earning his second podium of the year with a solid and consistent performance. Alessandro Giusti claimed third, a first podium of the season for the Williams Academy driver after a tough battle.
Featured Image Credit: Scuderia Ferrari HP
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