Jake Dennis survived two safety car periods and the pressure from Antonio Giovinazzi and Charles Leclerc to take his maiden FIA European Formula 3 Championship victory in race one at Pau.
The Prema Powerteam driver led from start to finish from pole position, with Jagonya Ayam with Carlin’s Giovinazzi less than a second behind after jumping up to second at the start ahead of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Leclerc.
The top three were in a race of their own, and only two safety car interventions to clear up crashes by Dorian Boccolacci and Michele Beretta reduced the gap to just over seven seconds to fourth placed Maximilian Günther of Mücke Motorsport.
Alexander Albon was fifth for Signature ahead of Alessio Lorandi, who secured his first points of the season in the second Van Amersfoort Racing machine.
Lorandi and fellow rookie Callum Ilott clashed at the hairpin after the second safety car period, and although the Italian was able to continue in his position, Ilott dropped outside the top ten, finishing eleventh.
Mikkel Jensen took seventh for Mücke Motorsport ahead of George Russell of Carlin, while Lance Stroll and Brandon Maisano competed the top ten for Prema Powerteam.
The result sees Giovinazzi, who has yet to finish off the podium in 2015 after seven races, extend his championship lead over Leclerc to eight points, while Felix Rosenqvist, who could only finish thirteenth in race one in the fourth of the Prema Powerteam machines, falls 32 points back.
Pau Race 1 Result
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