Bearman seizes first F3 win after huge crash interrupts Spa sprint race

Formula 3

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Ferrari academy driver Oliver Bearman took his maiden win in FIA Formula 3, in red flag-interrupted sprint race around Spa-Francorchamps.

Zak O’Sullivan started from partially-reversed-grid pole, with Juan Manuel Correa alongside him. O’Sullivan initially held the lead but Correa pursued him up the Kemmel Straight to take the lead.

However, as drivers reached Les Combes, Correa was clipped by O’Sullivan and ran wide with a puncture as several other cars hit strife in the sequence the. Correa and O’Sullivan both had to pit with damage and Kaylen Frederick suffered a dramatic tyre failure that saw it almost detach from the wheel, also forcing him into the pits. In the melee, Jonny Edgar tagged Franco Colapinto into a spin, earning him a five-second time penalty.

Brad Benavides took over the lead but did not hold it for long. Bearman passed him neatly on lap two just before the Safety Car was deployed when Christian Mansell was pitched into into the barrier on the outside of Fagnes.

When the race resumed on lap five, Bearman got away with the lead and looked safe from Benavides, who was under attack from Edgar. However, green flag running was short lived.

On lap six there was a huge crash between Zane Maloney and Oliver Goethe at Blanchimont which saw both drivers into the gravel before Maloney’s car rolled hitting the barrier and Goethe’s car slammed into Maloney’s car again. Thankfully, Maloney immediately exited the car and Goethe was assisted out by marshals before both drivers were collected by the Medical Car.

After multiple laps under Safety Car, the race was red flagged on lap nine, while repairs were made to the Blanchimont barrier. When the race restarted, Bearman kept the lead and was able to confidently hold it until the chequered flag. Roman Stanek claimed second place for Trident, with Alexander Smolyar completing the podium in third.

After both championship leaders Isack Hadjar and Victor Martins qualified poorly yesterday, Arthur Leclerc was able to make the most of it by moving from 20th on the initial grid to fifth, with Hadjar rising to ninth while Martins would finish down in 22nd after a poor start.

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Formula 3 Spa sprint race results

PositionCarDriverTeam
16Oliver BearmanPrema
22Roman StanekTrident
311Alexander SmolyarMP
41Jonny EdgarTrident
54Arthur LeclercPrema
625William AlataloJenzer
720David VidalesCampos
827Brad BenavidesCarlin
918Isack HadjarHitech
1010Caio ColletMP
115Jak CrawfordPrema
128Gregoire SaucyART
1312Kush MainiMP
1431Reece UshijimaHWA
1529Franco ColapintoHWA
1628Alexander SmolyarMP
1719Nazim AzmanHitech
189Juan Manuel CorreaART
1924Federico MalvestitiJenzer
2016Francesco PizziCharouz
2126Zak O’SullivanCarlin
227Victor MartinsART
2314Laszlo TothCharouz
2430Rafael VillagomezHWA
2523Ido CohenJenzer
2622Pepe MartiCampos
2721Oliver GoetheCampos
283Zane MaloneyTrident
2915Christian MansellCharouz
3017Kaylen FrederickHitech

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Author information

Hazel Southwell
Hazel is a motorsport and automotive journalist with a particular interest in hybrid systems, electrification, batteries and new fuel technologies....

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