F3 Spain: Boya takes advantage of Trident implosion for maiden win

Mari Boya topped the F3 podium for the first time, securing only his second career top-three finish in a relatively straightforward affair for the Campos driver after early contact between Santiago Ramos and Sami Meguetounif cleared the path for the Spaniard.

Alex Dunne (MP Motorsport) and Oliver Goethe (Campos) joined him in the top three, although the former’s position remains provisional as he is subject to a post-race investigation for a false start.

Following a post-qualifying track limits penalty for Sebastian Montoya, Trident saw drivers Ramos and Meguetounif promoted onto the front row. But any hope of victory disintegrated with a third lap collision between the team-mates.

With DRS enabled at the start of the lap, Meguetounif had the run on Ramos, who was defending the inside line, into Turn 1. Despite space being left, Meguetounif took to the grass on the inside, lost control and was forced to retire with damage after the pair collided.

Ramos was able to recover to the pits with a puncture but rejoined at the back of the pack, with Meguetounif handed a five-place grid penalty post-race which will apply for the next race he participates in.

In the mayhem, Nikita Bedrin (AIX Racing) and Callum Voisin (Rodin) also made contact at the same corner – both of whom retired. Both incidents are subject to a post-race investigation.

The beneficiary was home driver Boya, who led the way from Dunne and Goethe when action resumed on lap eight.

Photo by: Zak Mauger – Motorsport Images

While all eyes had been on the action at the front, Montoya had made rapid progress, climbing from P27 to P15 by the time of the safety car. And this progress continued after the intervention, with Nikola Tsolov, Luke Browning and Christian Mansell all falling victim to the fast-charging Colombian by lap 13.

But this was all for nothing, when contact with Gabriele Mini (Prema) on lap 18 on the exit of Turn 4 as the lines of both drivers converged resulted in a right front puncture to the Prema, leaving Mini unable to avoid taking the pair into the gravel and out of the race.

At the front, Boya had survived an attack from Dunne after a period of tyre saving. There was now, however, an asterisk hanging over the on-track action as Dunne – along with Christian Mansell (ART), Bedrin, Charlie Wurz (Jenzer), Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (AIX Racing), Sophia Floersch (Van Amersfoort Racing), Kacper Sztuka (MP Motorsport) and Piotr Wisnicki (Rodin) – was under investigation for a false start.

With the clear-up unable to be completed within the 21-lap distance, the race finished behind the safety car, with Boya left unchallenged to claim his first F3 victory and become the ninth different winner from nine races on the 99th race in the category’s history.

But the race winner and his team were summoned to the stewards after it was found his car was fitted with a front plank which was marked, but not nominated for the car, putting his win currently in doubt.

Despite his retirement, Mini retained his lead in the championship on 72 points, with Leonardo Fornaroli (Trident) second three points back and Luke Browning (Hitech) third after failing to score in P12.

F3 Spain – Sprint race results

1	M. Boya Campos Racing	12		21			153.462
2	A. Dunne MP Motorsport	9		21		0.453	153.432
3	O. Goethe Campos Racing	10		21		0.375	153.407
4	M. Stenshorne Hitech Pulse-Eight	15		21		0.240	153.391
5	L. Van ART Grand Prix	24		21		0.195	153.378
6	N. León Van Amersfoort Racing	20		21		0.472	153.346
7	L. Fornaroli Trident	4		21		0.158	153.336
8	D. Beganovic Prema Powerteam	1		21		0.304	153.315
9	A. Lindblad Prema Powerteam	3		21		0.501	153.282
10	T. Tramnitz MP Motorsport	7		21		0.266	153.264
11	C. Mansell ART Grand Prix	23		21		0.147	153.254
12	L. Browning Hitech Pulse-Eight	14		21		0.264	153.237
13	N. Tsolov ART Grand Prix	25		21		0.561	153.199
14	C. Shields Hitech Pulse-Eight	16		21		0.277	153.181
15	J. Loake Rodin Motorsport	31		21		0.439	153.151
16	C. Wurz Jenzer Motorsport	17		21		0.330	153.129
17	J. Dufek PHM AIX Racing	28		21		0.305	153.109
18	T. Smith Van Amersfoort Racing	22		21		0.500	153.076
19	M. Zagazeta Jenzer Motorsport	19		21		1.151	152.999
20	S. Flörsch Van Amersfoort Racing	21		21		0.179	152.987
21	S. Ramos Trident	6		21		0.253	152.970
22	M. Esterson Jenzer Motorsport	18		21		0.479	152.938
23	K. Sztuka MP Motorsport	8		21		0.717	152.891
24	P. Wiśnicki Rodin Motorsport	30		21		0.194	152.878
25	T. Inthraphuvasak PHM AIX Racing	26		21		7.796	152.361
dnf	G. Minì Prema Powerteam	2		17						Accident
dnf	S. Montoya Campos Racing	11		17						Accident
dnf	S. Meguetounif Trident	5		2						Accident
dnf	C. Voisin Rodin Motorsport	29		2						Accident
dnf	N. Bedrin PHM AIX Racing	27		2						Accident