Mari Boya delivered a masterclass in wet-weather racing to secure a hard-fought victory in the Formula 3 Feature Race at Silverstone.
The Aston Martin junior navigated treacherous conditions as heavy rain lashed the circuit.
Boya started from third on the grid but opted for the wet-weather tyres at the start, which set him on the way to his first victory of the season.
Theophile Nael and Noel Leon completed the top three as both drivers also started on the wet tyres.
Nikola Tsolov started the race from pole position, lining up alongside Ugo Ugochukwu on the front row.
The Campos driver had been untouchable in Friday’s qualifying session, but his hopes in the Sprint Race were dashed by a Lap 1 incident with Brando Badoer, which denied him a chance to score points.
Championship leader Rafael Camara capitalised on the opportunity to extend his lead in the standings, especially with Tim Tramnitz also failing to score.
The Brazilian started third on the grid, just behind Tsolov, setting the stage for what promised to be an exciting battle at Silverstone.
Sudden rain shower postpones start of the race
Just minutes before the formation lap, light rain began to fall, leaving drivers and teams scrambling over whether to start on slicks or switch to wet tyres.
As the rain steadily intensified, the race officials delayed the start by five minutes, giving drivers the opportunity to switch to wet-weather tyres.
Nael was one of the first drivers to switch onto the wet tyres, the rest of the grid sticking to the slicks ahead of the formation lap.
However, once the tyre blankets came off, the grid was split in terms of tyre choice.
Replays also showed an unsafe release by Noah Stromsted and Trident into the path of Tramnitz – with the stewards stating it would be investigated after the race.
Tsolov and Ugochukwu stuck with the slick tyres, but Boya went for the wet tyres, as spray was visible on the lap to the grid.
Matias Zagazeta was the only driver to pit, reverting to the slick tyres from the wet tyres.
Boya takes the race lead as wet tyre runners gain the advantage
Tsolov lost his lead to Boya at lights out, the Spaniard on the right tyre at the right time.
The running order quickly shuffled as drivers on wet tyres surged past those who had gambled on slicks, with Tsolov remaining the leading slick tyre runner while Camara slipped rapidly down the field.
By Lap 2, Tsolov was down to 16th with the rain still falling heavily.
Nael jumped up to second, Leon third, Sprint Race winner Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak fourth, Laurens van Hoepen fifth, Roman Bilinski sixth, Christian Ho seventh, James Wharton eighth, Bruno del Pino ninth and Santiago Ramos 10th.
On Lap 4, van Hoepen dived down the inside of Inthraphuvasak into Vale for fourth place on the track.
Leon continued to pile pressure on Nael for second place up the road, while Tsolov, now over 40 seconds adrift, was in serious danger of being lapped.
Meanwhile, Bilinski carved his way past Inthraphuvasak and van Hoepen to claim fourth, as the Thai driver continued to slide down the order — with Wharton advancing to seventh.
Charlie Wurz abandoned his gamble on slick tyres, switching to wets in the hope that a Safety Car would bring him back into contention.
Louis Sharp moved up to eighth as Inthraphuvasak lost yet another position, while Martinius Stenshorne became the next to make the switch to wet tyres on Lap 9.
Heavy rain brings out the Safety Car as Sharp aquaplanes into the wall
Camara began to recover, eventually overtaking Tsolov to become the leading slick tyre runner — albeit all the way down in 17th place.
As the rain returned, multiple drivers on slicks, including title contender Tramnitz, opted to pit.
Tsolov and Camara both eventually dived into the pits on Lap 10 as the rain intensified dangerously.
Shortly after, Sharp aquaplaned off the circuit and into the wall, ending his race on the spot.
The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 11 to allow the recovery of Sharp’s stricken Rodin Motorsport car at Club corner, while the stewards assessed whether conditions were still safe enough for racing to continue.
Visibility was virtually zero as the lapped cars were released to pass the Safety Car, with both Stenshorne and Tsolov sliding off the track while attempting to rejoin the back of the pack.
Several lapped drivers cautiously tiptoed around the waterlogged Silverstone circuit, struggling for grip and running wide at nearly every corner.
Red flag curtails the race as Boya clinches victory in the Feature Race
The red flag was eventually thrown on Lap 14 with the conditions undriveable.
Amidst the chaos, van Hoepen was handed a five-second time penalty for moving before the lights went out at the start.
A ten-minute wait was initially announced by the race officials, but it was confirmed later on that the Feature Race would not be resumed.
Boya, therefore, took the race victory at Silverstone, but as the full distance was not covered, the points were reduced.
Nael finished second for his third podium finish of the season with Leon completing the top three for Prema Racing.
Bilinski takes fourth place ahead of Ho in fifth and Wharton in sixth place.
Van Hoepen drops to seventh with his time penalty, Ramos in eighth, del Pino ninth and Inthraphuvasak taking the final point-scoring position in 10th.
READ MORE – Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak takes maiden F3 victory at Silverstone
