Leist benefitted from a restarted race one as he came home in first to win the opening encounter of the weekend (11/12 June) at Silverstone on Saturday.
The Double R Racing man had initially made a slow getaway and dropped to third but a heavy start line crash between Krishnaraaj Mahadik and Enzo Bortoleto saw the race red-flagged and then restarted. He made no mistake as the lights went out for a second time, passing pole-sitter Thomas Randle into Copse in what would prove a race-defining move.
Warm but overcast conditions greeted the field ahead of the 20 minute qualifying session, with Leist looking to convert his stunning practice speed into pole position. As the session got underway, a number of drivers dived into the pits in order to find clear air and were therefore on a slightly different strategy to most of the field, this including the Carlin duo of Collard and Norris.
After the drivers had warmed up their Pirelli tyres, representative times began to be set with Leist fastest, before Norris moved into second. That spurred Leist into action once more and he improved his best time to a 1m56.960s with three minutes remaining. However Thomas Randle, having put on new tyres, claimed provisional pole with just 90 seconds left, going 0.113s faster than Leist.
As the chequered flag was readied, the action was far from over however as Leist snatched back top spot by just 0.005s, as the pair traded blows like two heavyweight boxers. The sucker punch would come from Randle however as, on his very last lap, he wringed yet more time out of his Tatuus-Cosworth to lap the Grand Prix track in a 1m56.808s and take pole by 0.034s.
Behind Randle and Leist came Norris, Tarun Reddy and championship leader Ricky Collard. Sixth place on the race one grid went to HHC Motorsport’s Harrison Scott, who is making his BRDC British F3 debut this weekend, with Enaam Ahmed and Aleksanteri Huovinen completing the top-eight.
Spots of rain appeared as the field headed out for the first race of the weekend but the dark clouds overhead passed and the cars lined up on the grid in dry conditions. After the warm-up lap, the lights went out and Randle made a great start from pole, easily leading into Copse. His fellow front-row starter Leist made a less successful getaway however and was passed by Carlin’s Lando Norris.
Further back though Enzo Bortoleto stalled off the line and the unfortunate and unsighted Krishnaraaj Mahadik went into the back of the stationery Brazilian. Both were able to get out of their cars but the Safety Car was deployed, shortly before the red flags flew, as Bortoleto received medical attention before being taken to the medical centre, understandably so after such a heavy impact.
Once the accident damage was cleared, the remaining 18 cars in the field lined up for the restart in original grid order, with the race now scheduled for 6 laps. After another warm-up lap, the lights went out and this time Leist made a great start to move down the inside of Randle into Copse and take the lead as the field turned through the first corner. Australian Randle was forced to defend from the charging Norris behind, with the 16-year-old attempting to pass the Douglas Motorsport man through the Maggots-Becketts complex, but he couldn’t quite get the move done. However, he slipstreamed Randle down the Wellington Straight and took second heading into Brooklands.
Meanwhile through Vale, Harrison Scott went around the outside of championship leader Ricky Collard to take fifth but the HHC Motorsport man slowed on the next lap and eventually would retire from the race. The drama continued as second-placed man Norris ran wide coming through Becketts on lap three, clouting the kerb and damaging his suspension, which pitched him into the grass and eventually into the barrier. That promoted Randle back to second with Fortec Motorsports’ Tarun Reddy moving into the third and final podium position.
As the race headed into its final couple of laps, Collard fought hard to pass Reddy for third, with the Indian defending strongly, but he couldn’t quite pull the move off. That led to a long chain forming behind which included Douglas Motorsport’s Enaam Ahmed, HHC Motorsport’s Sisa Ngebulana and Lanan Racing’s Toby Sowery.
On the final lap, Sowery aimed to pass Ngebulana but he had to settle for seventh. Reddy in turn held off Collard as up front, Leist came through the last tour untroubled and with a lead nearing four seconds. He eventually saw the chequered flag 4.396s clear of Randle to take his third victory of the 2016 BRDC British Formula 3 season. Reddy took his second podium of the year in third ahead of Collard, Ahmed, Ngebulana and Sowery.
Danish racer Jan Jonck finished eighth, which netted him the reverse-grid race two pole position for Sunday morning, with the top-10 being completed by his Sean Walkinshaw Racing team-mates Thomas Maxwell and Eugene Denyssen.
Speaking on the podium, Leist said: “It was a really good race. I had wheelspin off the grid on the first start but on the restart I made a great getaway and was able to take the lead and hold on until the end. I was happy to see the red flag of course but I was not happy to see my team-mate involved in an accident like that. It was a great race though and I’m pleased to get my third win of the season. The car felt good and we knew it was good before the start so it was great to get the victory.”
The championship positions in the top-five remain the same but Randle has closed the gap to leader Collard slightly, with the Hampshire racer’s advantage now 29 points, with Leist five points further adrift in third.
Race two of the weekend at Silverstone gets underway at 10:00 tomorrow (Sunday) and you can follow all the action through live timing and updates on the official BRDC British Formula 3 website.
BRDC British Formula 3 - Silverstone - Qualifying Top-10
1. Thomas Randle, Douglas Motorsport, 1m56.808s2. Matheus Leist, Double R Racing, +0.034s3. Lando Norris, Carlin, +0.251s4. Tarun Reddy, Fortec Motorsports, +0.535s5. Ricky Collard, Carlin, +0.536s6. Harrison Scott, HHC Motorsport, +0.564s7. Enaam Ahmed, Douglas Motorsport, +0.591s8. Aleksanteri Huovinen, Double R Racing, +0.656s9. Enzo Bortoleto, Double R Racing, +0.750s10. Jan Jonck, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +0.924s
BRDC British Formula 3 - Silverstone - Race One Top-10
1. Matheus Leist, Double R Racing, 6 Laps2. Thomas Randle, Douglas Motorsport, +4.396s3. Tarun Reddy, Fortec Motorsports, +8.374s4. Ricky Collard, Carlin, +9.037s5. Enaam Ahmed, Douglas Motorsport, +9.405s6. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, +11.316s7. Toby Sowery, Lanan Racing, +11.740s8. Jan Jonck, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +12.106s9. Thomas Maxwell, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +15.850s10. Eugene Denyssen, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +18.692s.
2016 BRDC British Formula 3 standings after race 13 of 24
1. Ricky Collard, Carlin, 290 points2. Thomas Randle, Douglas Motorsport, 261 points3. Matheus Leist, Double R Racing, 256 points4. Toby Sowery, Lanan Racing, 234 points5. Enaam Ahmed, Douglas Motorsport, 206 points6. Aleksanteri Huovinen, Double R Racing, 166 points7. Thomas Maxwell, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, 156 points8. Lando Norris, Carlin, 153 points9. Enzo Bortoleto, Double R Racing, 146 points10. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, 145 points
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