Inthraphuvasak takes the win in intense F3 Sprint Race in Hungary

Written by Morgan Holiday

Credit: Formula 3

Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak scored his second Formula 3 race win of the year with Campos Racing after a last lap charge for the win from Ugo Ugochukwu at the Hungaroring.

Ugochukwu and Charlie Wurz finished in second and third, both drivers taking those positions for the second race in a row.

How it happened

Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak led the drivers from pole position, having qualified 12th on Friday to achieve reverse grid pole. The 30-car field kept it clean for most of the first lap as the top three remained in the same positions they started from - James Hedley and James Wharton behind Inthraphuvasak.

There was a brief yellow flag as Ivan Domingues and and Laurens Van Hoepen, but at the start of Lap 2 the Safety Car came out as Alessandro Giusti hit the wall after an incident with Ugo Ugochukwu.

The race went green again on Lap 4 as Inthraphuvasak held his lead over Hedley. As the race settled into a rhythm, Inthraphuvasak was unable to pull more than four tenths of a gap from Hedley, the British driver remaining close behind in the hunt for the lead.

On Lap 7 Ugochukwu made the overtake on Wharton for third, the McLaren junior driver jumping up into the final podium positions with his pace and making up ground on Hedley. Further down the field, Dams Lucas Oil driver Nicola Lacorte retired from the race with suspension damage.

The battle between Hedley and Ugochukwu began in earnest on Lap 10, as the American driver drew ever closer to getting the move done. Noel León was also making his way up the grid from his starting position of 13th. By Lap 12 he had gotten up to eighth despite an incident dropping him down a few places in the first couple of laps.

Last weekend's polesitter at Spa-Franchorchamps, Brad Benavides, was called in to retire his car after breaking a toe link during a brief trip off the track. The American driver had started 16th but made his way up into the top 12 earlier on in the race.

Ugochukwu finally made his move on Lap 15, grabbing second from Hedley as a few places below them Charlie Wurz overtook Wharton for fourth place.

Seconds later, the second Safety Car of the day came out as León and Theophile Nael made contact. Nael continued in ninth place but León was unable to continue and stopped on track.

The Safety Car came in on the final lap, giving Ugochukwu just one lap to fight for his maiden F3 race win. Inthraphuvasak led from the restart as Ugochukwu locked up and went wide, losing out on his chance at the win as Wurz jumped up past Hedley into third.

Further down the field Mari Boya was holding off Rafael Câmara for seventh place, hoping to keep his championship hopes alive for another race.

But it was the driver from Thailand who took his second race win of the year, Ugochukwu and Wurz coming behind him in the exact same finishing positions they scored in the Sprint Race at Spa last weekend.

Hedley finished fourth, scoring his maiden F3 points. Wharton rounded out the top five ahead of Brando Badoer, Boya, Câmara, Nael and Gerrard Xie making up the top 10.