Race Report

Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Oesterreich 2022
FIA F3 CHAMPIONSHIP

Circuit: RedBull Ring (A), Length 4,326 km, 8^th - 10^th July 2022, Rounds 9 + 10
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JENZER MOTORSPORT 2022:
Ido Cohen (ISR), Federico Malvestiti (ITA), William Alatalo (FIN)

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Cohen and Alatalo in the points at the RedBull Ring

The 2022 FIA F3 circus met up for the fifth event of the season as they ran as part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Austria on the demanding circuit of the RedBull Ring. Although weather conditions were challenging during the event it was again very clear just how close the competition is within this highly competitive field.

Qualifying

Friday, 08/07/22, 15.00 – 15.30, Weather: Cloudy, 19°C

Rain fell on Thursday night and when the teams gathered on Friday morning ready to get the fifth round started, the track was still wet; making it necessary to mount the wet tyres for the start of the practice session. With the 30 drivers finding the limits around the exciting Red Bull Ring circuit, track conditions soon started to improve and slick tyres were finally fitted on the cars. Ido finished the session in 21^st place, followed by William in 22^nd and Federico in 27^th.
The excitement grew as the qualifying session got closer. The sun was now shining and the drivers were ready to fight for the grid. On the first run, William was well under way and up to 12^th place. Ido was 20^th and Federico 26^th. New tyres were fitted and the boys headed out for the second and final run. As usual, traffic was intense on this short circuit and finding a good spot for completing a push lap was a tricky task. Our drivers were doing a brilliant job, pushing the cars to the limit. Unfortunately, they couldn’t complete their laps as a red flag came out with 2 minutes to go. Chovanec stopped his car on track and the session was not resumed. Ido qualified in a fantastic 13^th place, followed by William in 14^th position. It was a bit more complicated for Federico who had only just been on the way to his fast lap and now was stuck in 28^th place.

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FIA F3 Championship

Race One (Sprint-Race, 40 Minutes)

Saturday, 09/07/22, 10.35, Weather: Cloudy, 19°C

The Sprint race was started under a clear blue sky, in nice conditions. Our drivers got off well when the lights went out. Ido and William were able to keep their 13^th and 14^th places respectively, while Federico was moving up a place already. A Safety Car had to be called to action immediately on lap 1 as Villagomez spun out of the race just after Turn 3. When we got back underway, the battle for positions resumed. Ido had a quick off track moment which saw him going through the gravel and which caused him to slip down to 17^th place. William was making up positions and was up to a very good 12^th spot on lap 9. This is when disaster happened: William’s racing machine lost power and smoke came out of his car. The Finnish - Ethiopian driver had to pull over and stop the car at the exit of Turn 3. His race was unfortunately over and we got a brief VSC phase. Already on lap 10 the race was back underway, but not for too long. A contact between two cars and Maloney left the Trident driver out of the race and the Safety Car once again had to be deployed. At this point Ido was back up in 14^th place, with Federico having made it up to 19^th place. The race resumed one last time and our drivers managed to fight until the chequered flag. Ido took 14^th place when the race finished, while Federico crossed the line in a well recovered 20th position; 8 positions up from his starting position.

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FIA F3 Championship

Race Two (Feature Race, 45 Minutes)

Sunday, 10/07/22, 08.35, Weather: Rain, 13°C

On Sunday morning, rain started falling heavily just as the drivers were making their way to the grid for the start of the Feature race. Two formation laps were completed behind Safety Car before they we were finally able to get a rolling start. When the race got underway, the drivers proceeded carefully. Our drivers were able to maintain their positions and take time to gain more confidence. Rain soon calmed and battels started to be more fierce. Visibility was still poor and risks had to be taken to make a move. Ido and William momentarily lost some positions, with the Israeli driver in 14^th place and the Finnish-Ethiopian driver in 16^th place; further back, Federico was trying to make up places and was up to 26^th place. A risky maneuver between team mates Pizzi and Chovanec resulted in a contact in the final corner. Federico was right behind them and trying to avoid the contact. He unfortunately spun but managed to get moving again. The double yellow flags were waved briefly, until Federico managed to get going again. Not much later, another contact between Pizzi and Chovanec brought the Safety Car to action. With 3 laps to go, the race got underway again. Ido and William managed to avoid the new Turn 1 contacts and started a hard fight for positions. When the chequered flag waved, William was the one to cross the finish line in a brilliant 9^th place, taking 2 points. Ido finished right behind in a great 10^th position, scoring his first point in the championship! Federico finally brought 26^th place home safely. A great way for the team to wrap up the weekend, with a double points finish!

We are looking forward to the next race which will take place on the weekend of 31^st July 2022 in Budapest in Hungary.

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Championship standings after 10 out of 18 races:

1^st Victor Martins (F), 98 points; 2^nd Isack Hadjar (F), 97 points; 3^rd Arthur Leclerc (F), 91 points; 4^th Roman Stanek (CZE), 75 points; 5^th Jak Crawford (USA), 70 points; 6^th Oliver Bearman (GBR), 59 points; 19^th William Alatalo (FIN), 5 points; 22^nd Ido Cohen (ISR), 1 point

Ido Cohen (ISR)

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Federico Malvestiti (ITA)

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William Alatalo (FIN)

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2022 FIA F3 Championship

For more information:

• www.fiaformula3.com
• www.italiaracing.net