The Feature Race that wrapped up the first round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, on the semi-permanent circuit of Albert Park in Melbourne, brought a full load of points to Trident Motorsport which took victory with Rafael Câmara, second place with Noah Strømsted and the sixth with Charlie Wurz in the main race weekend. Trident Motorsport leaves Australia at the top of the Teams' standings and the first and third in the Drivers' standings.
The rain that conditioned the Feature Race did not worry Rafael Câmara. The nineteen-year-old Brazilian, who started from pole position, controlled all the phases of the race that kicked off with a rolling start, demonstrating that he has a cool head and a very hotfoot. After being hit by a rival in the Sprint Race and sent into a spin, Câmara was able to manage the two neutralization periods to take his first win in the FIAFormula 3 Championship, after also setting the fastest lap. This is an important result that allows the Brazilian from the Ferrari Driver Academy to climb to the top of the championship standings.
Noha Strømsted completed the one-two for Trident Motorsport after a solid and flawless race in which he kept his opponents behind. Second place in the Feature Race allows the seventeen-year-old Dane to climb to third place in the championship standings. With a good sixth place, Charlie Wurz made up for his premature retirement in the Sprint Race, caused by a collision.
The series will now take a three-week break. The next seasonal event is scheduled for 11 to 13 April at the Sakhir track in Bahrain.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager, commented: “We started the season on the right foot. It was important to have a competitive qualifying session and put two cars on the front row and one on the third. Today’s Feature Race was tricky due to the weather conditions. Our drivers did a great job of not making any mistakes, despite the very slippery surface, and were well supported by our technical staff. We are pleased to have won the debut race with the new Formula 3 cars, continuing our team’s winning tradition. Now it will be important to keep up this form, it will be a challenging championship with very strong rivals. Finally, I would like to congratulate our drivers. Rafael Câmara deservedly won his first race in the category, ahead of an excellent Noah Strømsted. Charlie Wurz also had a remarkable outing, completing a very positive day for Trident Motorsport, which leaves Melbourne at the top of both standings”.
