Zak O’Sullivan, representing ART Grand Prix from Great Britain, emerged as the winner in the Formula 3 Highlight Race held in Monaco. O’Sullivan’s victory came after he took advantage of the pit stop during the Virtual Safety Car period. Initially, the pole position driver dominated the race, but unfortunately had to retire, leaving O’Sullivan in a favorable position to claim the win. O’Sullivan quickly made his pit stop when the yellow flags were waved, allowing him to overtake Isack Hadjar and secure the victory before the Virtual Safety Car was deployed.
The race started with Verschoor starting from pole position, followed by Victor Martins and the other top 11 drivers who also opted for soft tires. As the race required a mandatory pit stop, 18 drivers chose to use soft tires to create a difference, while four drivers started on super soft tires. Verschoor had a good start, while Martins dropped to 14th place due to a slow start, giving Hadjar and Paul Aron the opportunity to move up.
Bearman made an impressive move on the first lap, gaining five positions and overtaking Gabriel Bortoleto, who was using super soft tires, to secure a points finish. On the opening lap, Jak Crawford made a bold move around the outside of Kush Maini in the corner, resulting in Maini hitting the wall. However, Crawford, driving for DAMS, retired from the race on lap 3 and was subsequently investigated for causing the collision.
The Mercedes junior driver, Kimi Antonelli, was setting the fastest lap in fifth position but faced an issue with his Prema Racing car leaking dry ice. Meanwhile, Verschoor continued to increase his lead over Hadjar in second place, aiming to secure valuable points in the driver’s standings. Antonelli also managed to create a gap between him and Trident driver, Roman Stanek, in sixth place, pulling away by 1.3 seconds in his pursuit of fourth place.
Antonelli’s teammate at Prema Racing, Bearman, held onto seventh place, although his super soft tires began to degrade as the race progressed. Pepe Marti was the first driver to make the mandatory pit stop, switching from super soft to soft tires on lap 11. Antonelli, eager to make progress, closely followed Franco Colapinto, a Williams junior driver, and set the fastest lap on lap 14.
In the world of motorsport, the current championship leader, Zane Maloney, went to the pits and opted for soft tires while in 20th position.
Enzo Fittipaldi had a slow pit stop on lap 16, causing him to drop to 18th place upon exiting the pits.
Bearman, a Ferrari Academy driver, followed suit and made his mandatory pit stop on lap 17, switching from super soft to soft tires.
Antonelli, slowly closing the gap to just 0.3s, followed behind the MP Motorsport driver in a fierce battle for fourth place.
Bortoleto reacted to Bearman’s pit stop in an attempt to gain positions in the points, hoping to overtake him on track.
At the front of the race, Verschoor managed to build a four-second gap between him and pursuer Hadjar, but soon reported some technical issues.
There was a momentary stop when the race leader cut the corner at Turn 10, but quickly regained full speed, possibly due to a temperature issue.
Rafael Villagomez rushed to the pits on lap 20 to replace his damaged front wing, while Stanek also stopped to switch to soft tires.
Antonelli decided to go for a set of super soft tires, but struggled to heat them up to the right temperature in his battle against teammate Bearman.
On lap 23, the two Prema drivers engaged in an exciting wheel-to-wheel battle at the corner, with Bearman finally overtaking Antonelli on the inside using his older soft tires.
Verschoor had a slow pit stop on lap 24, leaving him vulnerable to Hadjar, who had older tires.
The two drivers fought fiercely towards the Nouvelle Chicane, but it was Hadjar who managed to overtake the Trident driver with impressive speed on the final straight.
Bearman, with his newly heated soft tires, began setting fastest laps and climbed back to 12th position using the undercut strategy.
Aron successfully overtook the driver who had started on pole position on lap 26, securing 10th place as the latter experienced a power loss.
On lap 27, Bearman also made a strong move and passed Verschoor on the main straight, securing a points finish.
To compound his problems, Verschoor received a 10-second penalty for going off track and gaining an advantage before eventually retiring on lap 30.
Hauger made a pit stop on lap 33 to switch to the super soft tires, dropping from second to eighth place as he chased a podium finish.
Antonelli faced difficulties in overtaking Colapinto for ninth place, putting his points position at risk.
Juan Manuel Correa started to pressure Bearman while Hadjar had a brief contact with the wall.
Zak O’Sullivan was firmly in the lead after a series of pit stops left him 18 seconds ahead of Hadjar in second place.
Maloney was hit by Taylor Barnard, the Sprint race winner, on lap 37 as they navigated the corner in search of a points-scoring position.
Antonelli finally overtook Colapinto on lap 38, passing the Williams junior driver in the final corner.
This allowed Bortoleto to also overtake Colapinto, pushing him to 12th place after the current championship leader took his spot.
Approaching La Rascasse on lap 39, Fittipaldi touched the rear of Barnard’s PHM Racing car.
A major collision occurred when Josh Duerksen came out of Turn 3 and hit Maloney, resulting in yellow flags being waved as the PHM car stopped on the track.
O’Sullivan quickly entered the pits when the yellow flags were waved, just before the Virtual Safety Car was deployed.
Maintaining his position on the track, O’Sullivan fought intensely against Hadjar for the win, finally securing his first victory in F3.
© 2024
After an exciting season, the football championship came to an end. With games full of excitement and twists, fans were treated to unforgettable moments. The champion this year is the Flamengo team, who clinched the title after a spectacular victory in the final against Santos. With a score of 3-2, Flamengo secured their position at the top of the podium.
The match started with a lot of intensity, with both teams seeking the goal from the beginning. Santos opened the scoring with a beautiful free kick goal, leaving Flamengo fans worried. However, the Rio de Janeiro team did not falter and managed to equalize the game before halftime.
In the second half, Flamengo came back strong and turned the game around with two consecutive goals. The fans in the stadium went crazy with the spectacular comeback. Santos still managed to score, but it was not enough to avoid defeat.
With this victory, Flamengo secures the bicampeonato and consolidates itself as one of the biggest teams in the country. The fans are celebrating and rejoicing in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. The players are also ecstatic with the title and thank the fans for their support throughout the season.
Now, the focus turns to the next season, where teams will have the opportunity to strengthen and pursue the long-awaited title. Fans are already eager to see their teams back on the field and are hoping for more exciting moments like this one.
This year’s football championship was marked by great games and fierce rivalries. The teams showed a lot of grit and determination on the field, providing incredible spectacles for sports lovers. The competition was a success and left fans longing for more.
Bring on the next season and may football continue to thrill us with its magic and passion. Congratulations to Flamengo for the title and to all the teams that participated in the championship. Thank you for providing us with unforgettable moments and for making football a national passion.
