The first FIA European Formula 3 Championship race of the Hungaroring weekend was embroiled in controversy as eventual race winner Dan Ticktum made contact with Marcus Armstrong sending the Kiwi out of the race.
While Ticktum was under investigation, the officials did not hand him a penalty after the race, ensuring he becomes the fourth different winner this season, the first for his Motopark team as well.
He had pole position, but Armstrong had made a lightning start from fifth on the grid, jumping to the inside of the first turn. However, rain from the morning meant it was slippery off line with Armstrong coming across the face of Ticktum’s car, the two touched resulting in a rear left puncture for Armstrong.
Ticktum went on to lead the whole 22 lap race, breaking away from the remaining quartet of Prema Theodore Racing cars chasing him down.
“I was on my racing line, he went onto the wet part of the track and basically understeered into my front wing – there was nothing I could do.” he told Autosport. “The front-right suspension was slightly bent, probably one of the wishbones, but with the first 10 laps on the slippery track it was more about the driver.”
It was Dan Ticktum’s first F3 win since his Macau Grand Prix success last year (Credit: FIA European Formula 3 Championship)
The rain benefitted those in odd grid numbers, mixing up the order in the opening laps. Despite this, Guan Yu Zhou would finish seven seconds back on the leader as Ralf Aron, who finished second on the road, was demoted five seconds for a jump start.
Aron, Zhou and Mick Schumacher had been three abreast into the first corner, with the German coming off the worse. He would maintain his ground though picking up fourth behind Russian driver Robert Shwartzman, who recorded his first podium of the year.
Despite the penalty, Aron still took home fifth place, though later admitted that had he known about it earlier would have not pushed Ticktum so hard as to maximise his tyres for the end of the race.
Fellow Estonian Juri Vips rounded out the top six after late pressure from Enaam Ahmed and Sacha Fenestraz in the closing laps. This meant the top ten was rounded out by Ben Hingeley and Fabio Scherer.
