Jüri Vips moved up to second place in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship standings after another excellent weekend for the Estonian at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
The weekend started with a fifth-place finish in race one before he claimed victory in race two, his third win of the season after previous triumphs at the Norisring and at Silverstone, but Vips felt the race was amongst the hardest he had ever experienced thanks to the track conditions being damp in places.
The Motopark driver was also forced to withstand almost race long pressure from Hitech Bullfrog GP’s Alex Palou before clinching the win by just over half a second.
“It was one of the hardest races I have ever driven,” said Vips. “When the track is partly damp, being the leader in the race is never easy as you don’t have any reference points.
“It seemed as if I had some critical moments on every lap. Then, I tried to stay calm and I am now very happy with this victory.”
Vips’ weekend concluded with a second-place finish in race three, which came in fully-wet conditions at the Italian circuit. He was running third before a safety car period but got the jump on Marcus Armstrong at the restart, although he was unable to take the fight to Ralf Aron, although the result meant Estonian drivers finished first and second for the first time ever in the series.
“It took a while until I was finally able to overtake Marcus Armstrong,” said Vips. “When I finally made it, Ralf was already too far ahead.
“In the rain, things are normally going quite well for me, that has proven to be right here.”
The results in Italy mean that Vips is now Daniel Ticktum’s closest rival in the championship standings, with only twelve points between the team-mates heading to the Nurburgring in early September.
