Felix Rosenqvist was once again the leading Prema Powerteam driver in the final race of the Hockenheim weekend of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, with the Swede finishing second, meaning he took home sixty-one points from the three races in Germany.
Rosenqvist was unable to repeat his race two victory, but was happy with his weekend’s work despite having to concede the lead to Van Amersfoort Racing’s Charles Leclerc during the wet final race at Hockenheim due to issues with tyre wear.
“The first few laps were really positive,” reflected Rosenqvist. “The car was fast and I easily held onto the lead. As the time passed though, I started experiencing issues with the rear tyres.
“I did everything I could to resist the pressure of Leclerc and cool down the tires but he passed me eventually. After the safety-car I tried to fight back, but Charles was too quick. Second place is OK anyway, I recovered many points this weekend and that’s key for the rest of the championship”.
Team-mate Lance Stroll finished seventh on the road, but inherited sixth when Mücke Motorsport driver Santino Ferrucci was hit with a twenty-second penalty after pushing the Canadian off the road while attempting an overtaking manoeuvre. The Ferrari Driver Academy driver was happy to finish with points, and is now looking forward to his first street circuit race next time out at Pau.
“I collected another points finish and this is absolutely positive,” insisted Stroll. “At the start of the race I fought with Giovinazzi, but he was quicker and soon passed me. So I decided to maintain fifth place.
“I was accomplishing the task pretty well until Ferrucci pushed me on-track making me lose ground and position. I recovered to sixth place, also thanks to the penalty assessed to Ferrucci for his manoeuvre.
“I look forward to the next round at Pau with confidence. It will be my first time on a street course”.
Jake Dennis was also able to finish inside the points, finishing ninth on the road but being classified eighth after Ferrucci’s penalty, but Brandon Maisano could not work his way up into the top ten, finishing down in seventeenth.
