Grosjean claims important victory on his way to title
Track temperature: 23.1 º C
Air temperature: 20.4 º C
In a race that was particularly exciting in the second half,
Frenchman Romain Grosjean (ASM Formule 3) beat his team-mate
Kamui Kobayashi. Thus, he won the 17th season round of the
Formula 3 Euro Series at the 3.636 kilometres long Circuit
Paul Armagnac in Nogaro. Behind third-place Nico Hülkenberg
(ASM Formule 3), Sébastien Buemi (Mücke Motorsport)
took the chequered flag in fourth position. This allowed 21-year
old Grosjean to extend his margin in the points’ standings
to eleven points over his main rival Buemi.
Grosjean took the lead at the start and then pulled a slight
gap over Kobayashi and Hülkenberg. However, Kobayashi
and Hülkenberg closed up again as a slight drizzle set
in halfway through the race. The Japanese made a few attacks,
but Grosjean defended his lead until the finish. Thus, he
claimed his sixth win of the season and the first one in France,
his home country. With this success, Grosjean made another
important step on his way towards winning the title in the
world’s strongest junior racing series.
Romain Grosjean (ASM Formule 3): “This
is the first time for me to win a race at Nogaro. The race
wasn’t easy, especially as the rain set in. Like that,
it is never easy when you are in the lead as you are always
the first one to try out the new track conditions. Like that,
Kobyashi could make a lot of pressure, but with four laps
to go, everything was settled.”
Kamui Kobayashi (ASM Formule 3): “I
am very happy being in the top three again. My long streak
without a podium finish is finally over.”
Nico Hülkenberg (ASM Formule 3): “It
was very close. Surely, the key to victory was qualifying
and the start of the race, during which I was having slight
problems. The race wasn’t easy because Buemi was keeping
pressure on me from behind. At the same time, I kept the pressure
on Kobayashi.”
|
