WHAT WE LEARNED: Championship fighters and playing it smart

3 July 2024

Spielberg set a glorious scene in the middle of the triple-header, with the rolling hills that surround the Red Bull Ring providing a backdrop to the 2024 Formula 3 title fight hotting up.

As the F3 campaign enters the final third, there was plenty of storylines leaving Austria, but what were the biggest talking points ahead of Round 7 and the trip to Silverstone?

THINKING ON YOUR FEET

The queue at the end of Qualifying was telling as Luke Browning led the pack but had no desire to remain at the front. He slowed to a crawl though his efforts were in vain with nobody taking over from the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver.

This was all down to the school of thought that the slipstream provided by a car ahead would be too valuable to miss out on, with the Red Bull Ring featuring three DRS zones to open the lap through Sector 1 and half of Sector 2.

As it turned out, Browning was the driver in the best position, as the backing up of the pack behind him ultimately meant that drivers behind were hindered rather than helped by the car head.

PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì admitted after the Qualifying session that he caught the car in front through the second half of the lap, where downforce is the most important factor rather than a tow.

Looking back over the previous Qualifying sessions around the Red Bull Ring, it is far from clear cut whether gaining a slipstream from the car ahead is most beneficial. In fact, there is a case to be made that actually going without the slipstream is of greater benefit and leads to a stronger chance at Pole.

FORNAROLI UP FOR THE FIGHT

There’s no denying that Spielberg was a difficult weekend for Leonardo Fornaroli, as the Italian lost touch with Championship leader Browning following a mistake in Qualifying.

The Trident driver lost his best laptime, originally putting him eighth on the Feature Race grid, after exceeding track limits on his quickest effort.

It left him 24th on the grid for the Sprint and Feature instead while Browning earned Pole Position, and compatriot Minì also inside the top five for Sunday’s race.

But the setback was put to the back of his mind as Fornaroli showed he has the mettle for the fight. His work and learnings from the Sprint Race laid the foundations for his comeback through the pack in the Feature.

An aggressive drive through the field included several risky overtakes to put him back into points contention. The Italian driver was able to secure two valuable points with a P9 finish and was defiant after the race that he’d bounce back immediately.

Now third in the Drivers’ Championship on 86 points, 20 points adrift of Browning in first, he will need to prevent any Qualifying slip ups going forward. Up next, the venue he secured his maiden Formula 3 Pole Position.

NUMEROUS CONTENDERS

While Browning became the first driver to break into triple digits for the season, there is absolutely no shortage of rivals behind him who are within striking distance.

2023 teammate-turned-2024 rival Minì is his closest competitor, just 11 points behind the Briton in the Standings. As mentioned above, Fornaroli is 20 points behind the Drivers’ Championship leader, but from here they are lining up to stake their claim in the title race.

PREMA Racing’s Dino Beganovic is now fourth on 80 points but is heads up a quartet of drivers covered by just three points down to seventh in the Standings.

Christian Mansell has been on the podium in three of the last five races for ART Grand Prix, as he appears to be hitting the best form in his FIA F3 career currently. The Australian is fifth now on 78 points but is building serious momentum having out-scored everyone above him in the Standings during the same five-race period.

PREMA rookie Arvid Lindblad suffered a costly retirement in the Sprint Race in Spielberg, but the Red Bull Junior Team driver was back in the points on Sunday with P7.

Finally, Oliver Goethe is seventh in the Standings but the Campos Racing driver has been the most consistent driver in 2024. He is the only driver on the 2024 grid to have scored points in every race so far and looks capable of making a charge around the upcoming venues.

Any one of the top seven has reason to believe they can make a serious impact at Silverstone, and it will be intriguing to see what happens next.