2023 Budapest Rewind: O’Sullivan dominates at the Hungaroring

This weekend’s Round 8 action in Budapest will kick start the final three race weekends of the season as the battle for the Drivers’ Title heats up.

It was a similar scenario last year as the Hungaroring played host to the eight round of the Formula 3 season, with Gabriel Bortoleto on 128 points, leading Josep María Martí by 36.

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In the Teams’ Standings, Trident led the way with 238 points, 13 clear of rivals PREMA Racing, but would it remain that way by the end of the weekend?

PRACTICE & QUALIFYING

The drivers met a drying track with rain having fallen earlier and it was PREMA’s Zak O’Sullivan who was quick out of the box. His time of a 1:32.701 put him at the top ahead of MP Motorsport’s Mari Boya by over three-tenths with Martí in third for Campos Racing.

But on to Qualifying and it was Martí who set the early pace. His time of 1:34.144 saw him eclipse O’Sullivan’s lap by just 0.006s, with Bortoleto in third, just under two-tenths off the Spaniard.

Halfway through the 30-minute session, the drivers returned to the pit lane for another set of the Medium tyres before returning to the track for the final laps with under ten minutes to go.

As they completed their first set of laps on the new rubber, O’Sullivan went purple in an all three sectors to set a 1:31.091, with his teammate Dino Beganovic over seven-tenths behind.

Beganovic was able to improve to go 0.403s of O’Sullivan making it an all PREMA front row for the Feature Race, with Leonardo Fornaroli in third for Trident, over half a second behind.

Bortoleto ended up in P9 while Gabriele Minì rounded out the top 12, giving him reverse grid pole for the Sprint Race. A messy final part of the session for Martí left him starting both races from P13.

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SPRINT RACE

Minì made a strong start from pole, but it was his fellow front row starter Nikita Bedrin that took the lead at the exit of Turn 1. The Jenzer Motorsport driver used the tow to his advantage to get ahead of the Italian.

Bedrin and Minì then created a gap to third placed Christian Mansell, who was coming under attack from Bortoleto for the final spot on the podium.

On to Lap 5 and Bortoleto finally made the move past the Australian driver, diving down his inside at Turn 1, with PREMA’s Paul Aron waiting just behind to make his move.

Back at the front, the top two, now six seconds clear of Bortoleto, were squabbling with Minì taking back top spot with a move down to Turn 1 on Lap 9. Further back, Martí was on the charge, making the move past Jonny Edgar for P10.

Further back, Martí was on the charge, making the move past Jonny Edgar for P10. He was now closing in on O’Sullivan in P9, who was battling with ART Grands Prix Nikola Tsolov. But the two made contact at Turn 1, with the PREMA driver needing to box for a new front wing.

A Safety Car intervention was then required following Sebastián Montoya stopping on track at Turn 12.

The action resumed on Lap 17 of 19 and Aron was immediately on the move going round the outside of Mansell at Turn 3, with Goethe following him through a few corners later.

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But a Virtual Safety Car briefly neutralised the race with Martí and Tsolov having collided at Turn 1 while battling for P8.

On to the last lap of the race and Minì had a two and a half second gap to Bedrin, who was coming under attack from Bortoleto.

The Italian would go on to win the race, while Bortoleto made his way past Bedrin for P2 at the final corner, with Aron just missing out on a podium in fourth.

Goethe finished fifth ahead of Mansell with MP Motorsport pair Franco Colapinto and Edgar just behind. Grégoire Saucy finished ninth for ART, while Beganovic rounded out the top 10.

FEATURE RACE

It was a perfect start from O’Sullivan who defended well from Beganovic to keep the lead. The Briton was well over a second clear of his teammate, who was coming under attack from Fornaroli in third, with Colapinto in fourth and Goethe in fifth.

Martí and Tsolov resumed battle and the former took P10 ahead the Bulgarian with a dive down the inside at Turn 1.

Martí continued his charge through the field, coming from a long way back to get ahead of his Campos teammate Mansell at Turn 1, putting him up to P9.

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Out at the front, O’Sullivan’s great pace was evident as he was three seconds clear of his teammate Beganovic as they started Lap 9.

Beganovic was similarly three seconds clear of Fornaroli, who was coming under attack from Colapinto, Goethe and Aron.

The Argentine driver then took the final spot on the podium from Fornaroli after diving down the inside at Turn 1.

Goethe did not waste much time getting ahead of his Trident teammate for P4, going around the outside of Fornaroli at Turn 3 on Lap 11, with Aron following him through on the next tour.

Martí’s fightback continued as he got ahead of Championship rival Bortoleto at Turn 3, as Colapinto and Goethe began battling for the final spot on the podium.

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Onto the last lap, O’Sullivan was being closed in on by Beganovic, but it was all too late as he crossed the line to take his fourth F3 victory, equalling the all-time win record in the Championship.

Colapinto took third, six seconds ahead of Goethe with Aron in fifth and Martí in sixth. Bortoleto finished seventh, ahead of Jonny Edgar, who pulled off a late move on Fornaroli to take P8, with Boya rounding out the points in P10.

So, who will come out on top this weekend?