Fp3: Del Pino wins as Sprint Race red-flagged after Wharton-Sharp collision
fp3 saw Bruno Del Pino claim his maiden FIA Formula 3 victory in the Melbourne Sprint Race when the event was red-flagged and called early after PREMA teammates James Wharton and Louis Sharp collided, ending the race while barrier repairs were carried out.
Race halted after heavy contact between Wharton and Sharp
Bruno Del Pino converted pole into victory for Van Amersfoort Racing, keeping the lead from the start with teammate Enzo Deligny running second and Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer rising to third at Turn 1 by getting ahead of Noah Stromsted. The race was red-flagged following contact between James Wharton and Louis Sharp at the entry to Turn 6 on Lap 8, which sent both PREMA cars into the barrier and left the barriers and track in need of clearance and repair.
Race control waved the red flags and the Stewards later confirmed the race would not be resumed. With more than 25% of scheduled laps completed, only the top five finishers were awarded points, leaving Noah Stromsted classified fourth and Taito Kato fifth.
Fp3 impact and front-running details
The Van Amersfoort Racing front row had a strong start: Del Pino held the lead over Deligny while Badoer took P3 from Stromsted into Turn 1. By Lap 6 Del Pino had built a 1. 3-second advantage over Deligny, with the top four running roughly two seconds clear of Taito Kato in fifth. Earlier in the race, Mattia Colnaghi ran wide into the gravel at the exit of Turn 12 after battling Maciej Gladysz for sixth and rejoined at the back of the field; Ugo Ugochukwu moved up to ninth with an outside pass on Nicola Lacorte at Turn 9.
Immediate reaction
Bruno del Pino, Driver, Van Amersfoort Racing, said: “Grabbed a victory from pole position, so of course no better result than this. Super happy for the team, just a bit of a sour feeling with the points sharing, but hopefully the other drivers are okay and lets continue on to tomorrow. ”
Standings, points and what comes next
Del Pino leads the standings into the Feature Race with five points, followed by VAR teammate Enzo Deligny on four and Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer on three. TRIDENT’s Noah Stromsted has two points and ART Grand Prix rookie Taito Kato holds one. In the Teams’ Championship Van Amersfoort Racing top the table with nine points, ahead of Rodin Motorsport on three, TRIDENT on two and ART Grand Prix on one.
The drivers will get another chance to race in the Feature Race, which is set to start at 08: 50 local time; teams and drivers will regroup overnight with fp3 and the Feature Race shaping the next phase of the meeting.
