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Blomqvist storms to victory in first Hungaroring race

by Peter Allen
Tom Blomqvist

Photo: FIA F3 European Championship

Tom Blomqvist capitalised on a poor start from Esteban Ocon to score a commanding victory in race one of the FIA F3 European Championship round at the Hungaroring.

Points leader Ocon started from pole for the sixth time this season but bogged down off the line, dropping down the order as the fast-starting Blomqvist and Max Verstappen moved ahead.

Blomqvist forcefully held onto the lead at turn one, and Ocon managed to recover from his bad getaway to take second place away from Verstappen.

Ocon stayed within a second of Blomqvist for a few laps but the Briton then began stretching his lead, sometimes more than a second a lap faster.

After backing off slightly at the end, following a late warning for exceeding track limits, Blomqvist took victory by 4.9 seconds to join Ocon on three wins for the season and cut the gap slightly at the top of the standings.

Verstappen lost third place when he slowed and retired to the pits with a car problem, allowing Pau Grand Prix winner Felix Rosenqvist to make the podium under pressure from Mucke Motorsport team-mate Lucas Auer. Jordan King finished in fifth.

Blomqvist’s warning for track limits following a host of penalties being handed out to other drivers. Those affected included Antonio Fuoco and Gustavo Menezes out of sixth and seventh places. With Antonio Giovinazzi having to earlier concede eighth place due to a broken front wing, Jules Szymkowiak?inherited a superb sixth place finish, improving considerably on his previous season-best of 14th.

Felix Serralles, Dennis van de Laar, Mitch Gilbert and Sean Gelael made up the final points places. After contact in qualifying forced him to start 24th, Jake Dennis just missed out on a point in 11th.

Race results
Pos Driver? Team Time/Gap
1 Tom Blomqvist Jagonya Ayam with Carlin 21 laps in 33:58.653
2 Esteban Ocon Prema Powerteam +4.897
3 Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Motorsport +13.180
4 Lucas Auer Mucke Motorsport +14.517
5 Jordan King Carlin +17.592
6 Jules Szymkowiak Van Amersfoort Racing +34.332
7 Felix Serralles Team West-Tec +36.090
8 Dennis van de Laar Prema Powerteam +39.033
9 Mitchell Gilbert Fortec Motorsports +42.057
10 Sean Gelael Jagonya Ayam with Carlin +42.765
11 Jake Dennis Carlin +43.241
12 Alexander Toril ThreeBond with T-Sport +44.817
13 Felipe Guimaraes Double R Racing +46.140
14 John Bryant-Meisner Fortec Motorsports +49.346
15 Roy Nissany Mucke Motorsport +49.986
16 Spike Goddard ThreeBond with T-Sport +51.521
17 Gustavo Menezes Van Amersfoort Racing +55.888
18 Hector Hurst Team West-Tec +1:05.790
19 Antonio Fuoco Prema Powerteam +1:06.397
20 Tatiana Calderon Jo Zeller Racing +1:19.632
21 Sandro Zeller Jo Zeller Racing +1:24.898
22 Nicholas Latifi Prema Powerteam +1:35.591
23 Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Ayam with Carlin +2 laps
Not classified
Max Verstappen Van Amersfoort Racing +15 laps
Michele Beretta EuroInternational +21 laps