Monaco – Sprint: First victory for DAMS, Giusti scores points, Naël caught out
© Eric Alonso / DPPIWhile qualifying for F3 on Friday was relatively calm, Saturday's sprint race quickly descended into chaos on the streets of Monaco. A red flag was waved, and Théophile Naël was involved in an accident.
Hiyu Yamakoshi had done the essentials, but the Japanese driver was ultimately disqualified. Pole-sitter in this sprint race, winner at the finish, the VAR driver saw his disqualification confirmed by race control after discovering on Saturday evening that the front suspension setup was contrary to the technical regulations of the race. F3This cruel decision handed Gerard Xie and the French team DAMS their first victory, as they had entered the category later than the other competing teams. Bruno Del Pino finished second, ahead of Pedro Clerot.
Finishing fourth, Alessandro Giusti achieved his goal. The Frenchman, who started seventh on the grid for the main race, said he wanted to do the essentials on Saturday: score points and bring the car back to the garage unscathed. Mission accomplished for the driver supported by Williamscapable of escaping the pressure from Noah Stromsted at the end of the race. Also noteworthy is the 6th place finish of Ugo Ugochukwu, the championship leader, who is capable of scoring more points in this race.
Slater, Naël and Rivera are down
Starting from pole position in Sunday's feature race, Théophile Naël was unable to avoid the pitfalls like his compatriot Alessandro Giusti. Driving for Campos, starting 12th on the grid and 10th after the first lap, the Frenchman couldn't avoid an accident that occurred right in front of him at Fairmont. Ahead of him, Briton Freddie Slater attempted a daring maneuver on a somewhat overconfident Ernesto Rivera, leading to an inevitable collision. Caught in the middle of the action, Théophile Naël tried to brake, but his front wing couldn't withstand the impact.
Earlier in the race, right from the start, another accident brought out the first red flag of the F3 weekend. Involving drivers including Christian Ho, Brad Benavides, Brando Badoer, and Tuukka Taponen, this event set the tone for the rest of the race. Now, the main race awaits the drivers and the field, which will be led by Théophile Naël, who set the fastest time in Friday's qualifying session. Will he be able to replicate Yamakoshi's solo performance on Saturday? Find out at 7:45 a.m. (French time) on Sunday.
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