The Feature Race that wrapped up the eighth round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship season, held at the legendary Monza circuit, provided Trident Motorsport with a mixed bag of lights and shadows. Championship leader Freddie Slater was forced to retire, while the Milan-based team, headquartered in Ossona, was saved by Noah Strømsted, who scored points after a relentless race, and a positive performance by Matteo De Palo.
Starting from pole position, Freddie Slater maintained the lead when the lights went out, immediately starting to pull away from his pursuers. The eighteen-year-old Englishman maintained the lead even after the first neutralization, but his race subsequently took a different turn due to a technical issue.
At the restart, Slater continued to defend his lead, but was overtaken on lap six, gradually sliding down to fifth place. The Audi Junior driver then had to fend off attacks from his rivals. The situation worsened further on the following lap, when the Trident Motorsport driver suffered a problem with the right rear wheel exiting the Ascari Curve, forcing him to park his car and prematurely ending the race.
This setback came at the end of a weekend that had seen Slater secure pole position and an excellent second place in Saturday's Sprint Race. The eighteen-year-old Englishman leaves Monza still leading the overall FIA Formula 3 Championship Drivers' standings, holding a fifteen-point advantage over his closest rivals.
Noah Strømsted, who led a relentless comeback race, provided Trident Motorsport with a great showing. Starting from fifteenth place, the nineteen-year-old Dane lost ground in the early stages, dropping to twenty-first. Strømsted, however, did not lose heart and began a gradual climb up the standings.
The Trident Motorsport driver made the most of the opportunities presented by the battle and the neutralizations, gaining ground lap after lap. After climbing to fifteenth place, Strømsted continued his attack, breaking into the top ten in the middle stages of the race.
At the second restart, the Dane maintained a particularly competitive pace, first moving up to eighth and then seventh. Strømsted then managed to keep his seventh position up to the finish, thus completing an eight-place gain from his starting position.
It was also a comeback race for Matteo De Palo. The 18-year-old Roman should have started from second on the grid after posting the second-fastest time overall in qualifying, but a disqualification for a technical irregularity found on the floor of his car forced him to start from thirtieth and last place.
Despite the difficult starting situation, the McLaren Junior Driver reacted with determination as soon as the lights went out, gaining five places on the first lap. De Palo then continued his progression, climbing up to seventeenth place in the middle of the race.
The Roman driver maintained a steady pace even after the second restart, managing to make up further ground and finishing the Feature Race in sixteenth place. This result is particularly significant considering the fourteen places he gained from the start.
The FIA Formula 3 Championship, however, doesn't stop in Monza. Next week, the final round of the season will take place on the Madring, Madrid's new street circuit. The Spanish track will therefore decide the final outcome of the championship standings, with Trident Motorsport ready to face the final weekend of the season with maximum determination.
Giacomo Ricci: “It was a bitter Feature Race. There's disappointment for what happened to Freddie Slater, who, after starting from pole position, had to retire due to a wheel issue. Noah Strømsted had a positive race, recovering eight places and finishing seventh. Matteo De Palo faced an extremely difficult situation starting from the back of the grid, but he recovered fourteen places, once again showing good pace. Now we face the final round of the season in Spain. The new Madring street circuit will be a challenge for everyone, and we'll need to arrive fully prepared to achieve our goals.”