Tom Blomqvist has won the first race of the weekend as FIA F3 European Championship hit the Norisring but it will be the number of penalties given that provides the most talking points.
It was not Blomqvist who crossed the line first but Raffaele Marciello – however due to not slowing down enough under yellow flags the Prema Powerteam driver was given a 20 second penalty – along with 11 other drivers.
All drivers from second to seventh were penalised twenty seconds and lost their positions – those drivers were: Alex Lynn, Lucas Auer, Félix Serrallés, Alex Sims and Luis Felipe Derani. That meant that Lynn, also racing for Prema, slotted in seventh with the others following in order behind.
Second place eventually went to Harry Tincknell for Carlin and third place went to André Rudersdorf racing for Ma-Con, this was a maiden podium for Rudersdorf in F3 Euro Series. Eddie Cheever was fourth.
Blomqvist, son of rally legend Stig Blomqvist, said: “For me, victory really comes as a surprise. I only was told that I had won the race after the prize-giving ceremony.”
Speaking of the yellow flag speed busting Tincknell stated: “For me, being up here is a huge surprise, too. As always at the Norisring, it was an action-packed race. Indeed there were many yellow flags and we were told about the correct behaviour under yellow during the drivers’ briefing. Therefore, I made sure that I really backed off when the yellow flags were out.”
As well as the yellow flags there were two safety cars for comings together at the former Nazi parade ground, the first was for Mitchell Gilbert in the Mucke Motorsport car and Sean Gelael in the Double R Racing car collided. Then it was the two female racers Tatiana Calderón and Michela Cerruti who came together launching the safety car again.
