Written by Vyas Ponnuri
Formula 3 returned for the first time in over a month, and 30 drivers would take to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, in one final outing for the feeder series.
One driver headed into the weekend, more relaxed than the others. Yes, all Gabriel Bortoleto had to do was take pole, or see his championship contenders Paul Aron and Pepe Martí off pole position. And the final stretch of road to the Formula 3 title would prove to be a rocky one for the Brazilian. After a chaotic, disjointed qualifying session, he could truly call himself a world champion, with neither Aron nor Martí taking pole.
Heading into the all-important season finale at Monza, Aron had to take every point on offer across the weekend, to stand a chance of winning. Pole position, sprint race win, feature race win, and fastest laps in both races, with championship leader Bortoleto not scoring a single point across the weekend. A tall order, more of an impossibility, with very few odds in Aron’s favour.
Aron managed to qualify third on the grid, after the usual chaotic qualifying session at Monza, red flags flying frequently, and drivers jostling for space on the track, and remain in the slipstream of the driver ahead.
“P3 is not bad in Monza, considering all the mess that went on in qualifying, and generally, we know this is a super difficult place to qualify, especially in F3” said Aron after qualifying. The Mercedes junior was content to be ahead of his rivals after qualifying. After all, a strong qualifying would do no end of good for the Prema racer, with only 19 points separating him and seventh-placed Gabriele Mini in the standings.
Aron showered praise on the drivability of the car, saying: “Nevertheless, the car was good, and it felt that the team was on it. I felt really good in the car myself. I was just enjoying it, and I wish we had more time because it's the last round of the season, and it was super nice to drive.” His car has definitely been nice to drive, given Prema are leading the constructors standings, and are a fierce force in Formula 3, having won three titles in the past four seasons.
Finally, the Prema racer congratulated Bortoleto for winning the championship: “Big congrats to Gabriel for winning the championship, as he did a good job all year." His focus will now turn to finishing a rollercoaster season on a high, and second in the standings.
Aron looks perfectly poised to finish second in the standings. The Mercedes junior will start 3rd in the feature race, and will be one of the contenders for the race win, as he will benefit from the slipstream of the lead duo. He starts 10th for the sprint race on Saturday, and will be looking to limit the loss of points to his competitors in the standings.
Formula 3 returned for the first time in over a month, and 30 drivers would take to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, in one final outing for the feeder series.
One driver headed into the weekend, more relaxed than the others. Yes, all Gabriel Bortoleto had to do was take pole, or see his championship contenders Paul Aron and Pepe Martí off pole position. And the final stretch of road to the Formula 3 title would prove to be a rocky one for the Brazilian. After a chaotic, disjointed qualifying session, he could truly call himself a world champion, with neither Aron nor Martí taking pole.
Heading into the all-important season finale at Monza, Aron had to take every point on offer across the weekend, to stand a chance of winning. Pole position, sprint race win, feature race win, and fastest laps in both races, with championship leader Bortoleto not scoring a single point across the weekend. A tall order, more of an impossibility, with very few odds in Aron’s favour.
Aron managed to qualify third on the grid, after the usual chaotic qualifying session at Monza, red flags flying frequently, and drivers jostling for space on the track, and remain in the slipstream of the driver ahead.
“P3 is not bad in Monza, considering all the mess that went on in qualifying, and generally, we know this is a super difficult place to qualify, especially in F3” said Aron after qualifying. The Mercedes junior was content to be ahead of his rivals after qualifying. After all, a strong qualifying would do no end of good for the Prema racer, with only 19 points separating him and seventh-placed Gabriele Mini in the standings.
Aron showered praise on the drivability of the car, saying: “Nevertheless, the car was good, and it felt that the team was on it. I felt really good in the car myself. I was just enjoying it, and I wish we had more time because it's the last round of the season, and it was super nice to drive.” His car has definitely been nice to drive, given Prema are leading the constructors standings, and are a fierce force in Formula 3, having won three titles in the past four seasons.
Finally, the Prema racer congratulated Bortoleto for winning the championship: “Big congrats to Gabriel for winning the championship, as he did a good job all year." His focus will now turn to finishing a rollercoaster season on a high, and second in the standings.
Aron looks perfectly poised to finish second in the standings. The Mercedes junior will start 3rd in the feature race, and will be one of the contenders for the race win, as he will benefit from the slipstream of the lead duo. He starts 10th for the sprint race on Saturday, and will be looking to limit the loss of points to his competitors in the standings.