Anthoine Hubert secured his maiden FIA European Formula 3 Championship victory at the Norisring, after leading race two from start to finish on Saturday afternoon.
The Frenchman was the surprise of the weekend in Germany, with his best result up until the races at the Norisring being a sixth place in Paul Ricard, but the Van Amersfoort Racing driver drove strongly throughout, finishing eighth in race one before taking a victory and a runners-up spot in the final two races.
Hubert even started the second race from pole position, inheriting the place from team-mate Callum Ilott, who was forced to take a grid penalty following an engine change, and the Frenchman was happy to finally take a good result home after his difficult start to the season.
“At the Red Bull Ring five weeks ago, my team principal Frits van Amersfoort already said that his team has always been strong at the Norisring,” revealed Hubert. “I am happy that I didn’t let him down here, especially as the start of my season wasn’t particularly easy.
“Generally, I like street circuits, something I already proved by winning the Formula Renault 2.0 race at Pau last year. And here, after a good qualifying and pole position, I also had good chances of scoring a good result.”
After his runners-up spot in the final race on Sunday to championship leader Lance Stroll, Hubert was happy to take home more trophies, and is hoping this weekend enables him to be a genuine challenger up front.
“The start of my season wasn’t good, but now, I am all the more happy to have made it onto the podium once more,” said Hubert. “Now, I hope to make it to the prize-giving ceremony more often.”
