MATTEO DE PALO TAKES FIRST F3 WIN AFTER DRAMATIC SILVERSTONE FINISH
Matteo De Palo claimed his first Formula 3 victory in a thrilling Feature Race at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. The Trident driver won after a dramatic final lap battle following a late Safety Car restart.
Starting from fifth place, De Palo made an excellent opening to the race and quickly moved into the fight for victory. He passed Louis Sharp for third place before making a strong move on Théophile Nael at Stowe to take second.
De Palo continued his impressive charge and attacked pole sitter Freddie Slater on lap four. The Italian made another move at Stowe and took the lead of the race for the first time.
The battle at the front remained intense throughout the race. Slater later managed to recover the lead, while Ernesto Rivera and Maciej Gladysz were also involved in several close fights for position.
As the race continued, De Palo stayed close behind Slater and waited for another opportunity. On lap 18, Slater attempted an attack at Stowe, but De Palo defended successfully and kept the lead.
Shortly after, the Safety Car was brought out after Ricardo Escotto stopped on track because of damage from contact with another car. The race restarted at the beginning of the final lap, setting up a dramatic finish.
Slater made a strong restart, but De Palo defended perfectly. The two drivers fought side by side, but contact at Copse changed the outcome. Slater dropped down the order, possibly because of a slow puncture, while De Palo remained in front.
De Palo managed to defend from Nael and Rivera in the closing corners and crossed the finish line to secure his first F3 victory.
Nael originally finished second, but a 10-second penalty for contact with Sharp dropped him to sixteenth place. This promoted Rivera to second and Gladysz to third.
Wharton finished fourth, ahead of Slater and Ugochukwu. Sharp recovered to seventh, followed by Stromsted, Kanato Le, and Alessandro Giusti, who completed the top ten.
The Silverstone Feature Race will be remembered for De Palo’s excellent pace, smart defending, and a final-lap battle that delivered his first major success in Formula 3.
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