Yamakoshi claims maiden victory in Monaco F3 sprint race
- Trisha Lynnette Nathan
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
Written By Trisha Lynnette Nathan
After a long break, Formula 3 is back racing and we have returned to the sunny Monte Carlo for the sprint race. Hiyu Yamakoshi of Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR) led the grid as he took pole position for the sprint race. Behind him stood Gerrard Xie of DAMS Racing and Pedro Clerot of Rodin Motorsport.
At 10:45 CEST, the drivers set out on track, weaving as they warmed their tyres during the formation lap. Lined up at the starting line, the lights were out and racing began at the legendary Monaco circuit – 23 laps of sprint racing ahead.
The iconic hairpin turned to carnage as the back of the grid piled into one another, bringing the yellow flags and safety car scrambling out. Brando Badoer of Rodin Motorsport was the unfortunate victim, his session done and dusted after picking up the brunt of the damage.
Tuukka Taponen of MP Motorsport ground to a halt in the tunnel, a direct consequence of the chaos that unfolded through the tight hairpin. Brad Benavides of AIX Racing and Christian Ho of Rodin Motorsport faced damage, their races over before they'd barely begun. James Wharton of PREMA and Taito Kato of ART Grand Prix limped their battered machinery into the pits, desperate for repairs.
The red flag was waved for the marshals to clear the circuit and restore it to suitable racing conditions. Race control wasted no time, noting Taponen for the Turn 6 collision. The pit exit was promptly closed as the mechanics threw themselves into action, frantically working to repair the damage their cars had sustained.
The green flag was waved and the field returned to the circuit, hungry to make up positions. Yamakoshi led the grid ahead of Xie and Clerot, with the race now measured in minutes rather than laps following the time lost to the earlier red flag stoppage.
The cars roared away from the line as the action got underway. Bruno Del Pino of VAR swept past Clerot to move into third. Further back, Jin Nakamura of Hitech and Théophile Naël of Campos Racing came close to making contact at the hairpin, though both drivers kept their composure and avoided what could have been a costly collision.
With 18 minutes remaining, Yamakoshi held the lead with a gap of nine-tenths of a second back to the field. Clerot escaped without penalty despite being investigated for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Behind the top two, Del Pino hounded Xie with just two-tenths of a second separating them, a tantalising battle for second place very much alive.
Chaos ensued shortly after, however. Freddie Slater of Trident and Ernesto Rivera of Campos Racing collided entering the hairpin, with Naël having nowhere to go and collecting both stricken cars. Fortunately, all three drivers were able to rejoin as the safety car was deployed to neutralise the race. Race control noted Slater, Rivera and Naël for the incident at the hairpin.
Slater was handed a ten-second penalty for the collision with Naël and Rivera. With just nine minutes remaining on the clock, the field pushed in the pursuit of a podium finish. Del Pino continued to apply relentless pressure on Xie for second place, whilst Xie himself was closing the gap to Yamakoshi, bringing it down to six-tenths of a second.
The yellow flag was waved once more, a virtual safety car deployed after debris from Slater's front wing was found on track. Yamakoshi used the opportunity to extend his advantage to two seconds. Del Pino, meanwhile, was firmly back in Xie's mirrors as the pressure behind mounted.
Rivera's race came to a premature end shortly after, the Campos Racing driver pitting in an attempt to repair the damage sustained in the hairpin incident. It was to no avail, however, as he was deemed unable to continue — becoming the fifth driver to retire from the session.
When the chequered flag fell, Yamakoshi crossed the line to take his maiden sprint race victory. Xie secured a historic second place, claiming his maiden podium and becoming the first Chinese driver to stand on a Formula 3 podium. Del Pino rounded out the top three in third, completing a Van Amersfoort Racing podium lockout.
Comments