Feature
The top three battle it out: Spa-Francorchamps Team-by-Team Roundup
It was a big weekend at Spa-Francorchamps as the top three drivers in the Championship battled it out, while things got even tighter in the Teams’ Standings.
So, before we head into the summer break, let us look at how each team fared across the three days in Belgium.
CAMPOS RACING
Isack Hadjar sealed his and Campos’ fourth Feature Race victory, putting them back at the top of the Teams’ Standings.
Hadjar qualified third but won the Feature ahead of his title rival Gabriel Bortoleto, which also sees him take a 36-point lead into the summer break in the Drivers’ Championship.
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It was not an easy weekend for Josep María Martí, who suffered an issue on his car in the Sprint, before colliding with Oliver Bearman after an outstanding start in the Feature – the PREMA Racing driver was later penalised for the part he played in the incident.
He will be keen to use the summer break to reset before hitting the ground running at Monza.
INVICTA RACING
Spa was not Invicta’s best weekend so far this year as the Sprint Race saw both Gabriel Bortoleto and Kush Maini finish without points – the first time this has happened since the Melbourne Feature Race.
But their weekend still ended with Bortoleto on the podium after lining up on the front row.
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It’s their ninth podium of the year and they leave Spa still tied at the top of the Standings with 203 points. They are in good form and will be keen to continue like this after the summer break.
MP MOTORSPORT
It was not the easiest three days for MP, but they still left with a trophy thanks to Dennis Hauger’s P2 finish in the Sprint Race.
Hauger then employed the bold strategy of pitting early in the Feature, having also ran a lower downforce setup compared to the rest of the field but it didn’t have the desired effect, leaving him in P12.
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His teammate Franco Colapinto did not fare much better, finishing eighth in the Sprint, before retiring early with an issue in the Feature. Both drivers qualified in the top 10 so the pace is good, and something they can build on ahead of the final four rounds.
HITECH PULSE-EIGHT
Hitech have not had the easiest few rounds but things looked to have got off to a good start on Friday when Paul Aron qualified on pole.
The Estonian then led the way early in the Feature Race but his hopes of victory faded once Hadjar and Bortoleto got past, leaving him third, before he stopped on track with an issue on the final lap.
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His teammate Amaury Cordeel was able to rescue points for the team on home soil, coming through to finish eighth after starting 11th.
RODIN MOTORSPORT
Rodin had quite a successful Spa weekend as both Zane Maloney and Ritomo Miyata scored good points.
Maloney qualified sixth before finishing fourth in the Sprint, and had that race not been called off on Lap 7, a place on the podium looked possible.
He suffered a slow start and contact with Bearman in the Feature but he recovered well to finish sixth, just ahead of Miyata, who fought from P16 on the grid to end up seventh.
DAMS LUCAS OIL
The French team came to Spa off the back of a trying weekend in Budapest, looking to make sure they understood why they struggled during Qualifying at the Hungaroring.
Jak Crawford’s P4 performance was therefore a welcomed return to form and the American driver turned that into P5 in the Sprint and a third-place finish in the Feature.
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Juan Manuel Correa narrowly missed out on a place in the points, ending up P11 on Sunday but the pace is there and they will feel confident that they can kick on after the summer break.
PREMA RACING
The Italian squad had a bit of a mixed weekend where they showed good pace but just could not put it all together.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed by qualifying fifth and caught the eye in the Sprint, pulling off a daring overtake on Colapinto at Eau Rouge to finish sixth before crossing the line ninth on Sunday.
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Bearman qualified 15th before an opening lap collision put an end to his hopes on Sunday, after he fought through to seventh in the Sprint.
He will be looking to hit the reset button during the break before going again at Monza, a track where he won last year.
ART GRAND PRIX
Similarly to PREMA, it was a mixed weekend for the French squad despite showing great pace. The positive was Zak O’Sullivan won the Sprint Race and finished fourth in the Feature.
The pace was also evident from Victor Martins, who after stopping on track with an issue in Qualifying, started from the back of the grid but was up to 12th in the Sprint before the race was stopped.
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Unfortunately for Martins, he got caught up in a collision with a spinning Rafael Villagómez in the Feature, knocking him out of the race.
VAN AMERSFOORT RACING
It was a difficult weekend for VAR that was off to a trying start once Villagómez crashed in Free Practice. He qualified down in P18 while Enzo Fittipaldi led the charge in P13.
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But they just did not have enough in either race, with Villagómez spinning into a crash with Martins in the Feature, while Fittipaldi was forced to stop in the pit lane with an issue on his car.
They will be hopeful of turning things around in Monza.
TRIDENT
Trident had a solid weekend especially on Richard Verschoor’s end as he qualified in P8 before finishing third in the Sprint and fifth in the Feature.
His teammate Roman Stanek was not as successful qualifying in P21, before taking the chequered flag P20 in the Sprint and P14 in the Feature.
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Next up is their home race at Monza, and they will be hopeful of having both cars fighting in the top 10.
AIX RACING
It was a weekend of what could have been as Joshua Duerksen’s fastest lap, which had him in the top 10 was deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving him down in P20 behind Taylor Barnard in P19.
Both drivers then put on battling performances in the Feature, as Duerksen fought his way through to take the final point in P10, with Barnard in P13.