Pourchaire inherits maiden F3 win after late collision between leaders

Theo Pourchaire won the second FIA Formula 3 race of the Styrian Grand Prix weekend following a collision in the closing stages between the top two that saw the pair retire.

The Frenchman began the race in second behind reverse-grid pole-sitter Jake Hughes. He made a better start than the Brit to take the lead but that would only last for the first three laps.

Liam Lawson, who had won last weekend, pulled off a brilliant double-overtake on Hughes and Pouchaire on Lap 4 with DRS into Turn 4 to snatch the lead.

Hughes fought back though next time around and put his HWA Racelab car at the head of the pack.

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Further back, David Beckmann got by his Trident team-mate Olli Caldwell for fifth on Lap 8 at Turn 4.

Three laps later and Lawson went into battle with Hughes once more to pass the 26-year old on the inside at the same turn.

Trouble towards the rear of the field occurred when Sophia Florsch was pitched into the barrier on the back-straight after Turn 3 following contact with Alex Smolyar. This brought out the Safety Car, as Lawson led Hughes, Pourchaire, Logan Sargeant, Beckmann, Richard Verschoor, Caldwell, Oscar Piastri, Frederik Vesti and Max Fewtrell.

Green-flag racing resumed with eight laps to go and the positions for the lead remained the same until Hughes made a lunge down the inside into Turn 3 on Lawson, albeit temporarily, as the Kiwi retaliated by snatching the lead back at Turn 4.

It was not to be clean on the next lap though, as Lawson ran over the kerb at the same turn as he got back past the Brit to defend his position but oversteered into Hughes’ right-front tyre and breaking both drivers’ front suspensions and bringing out the Safety Car.

The final few laps were completed behind, so Theo Pourchaire picked up the spoils and crossed his ART over the line for first win in Formula 3, with Sargeant second and Beckmann third. The rest of the top ten were completed by Verschoor, Piastri, Caldwell, Fewtrell, Vesti, Sebastian Fernandez and Lirim Zendeli.

Piastri got the extra two points for the fastest lap, which sees his championship lead over nearest rival and team-mate Frederik Vesti stretch to 6.5 points. The third PREMA driver Logan Sargeant is another 3.5 points back in third.

The FIA Formula 3 Championship will next compete at the Hungaroring, as part of the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend.