Taito Kato has wrapped up the two-day FIA Formula 3 testing experience with the fastest lap at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. With a time of 1m20.297s, Kato surpassed his initial time of 1m21.251s from the first day, leaving behind Prema driver Louis Sharp.
The morning session began with intensity, with Trident driver Freddie Slater setting the benchmark with 1m21.667s. However, his teammate Noah Stromsted managed to surpass him with a time of 1m21.585s. Stromsted did not settle for that and quickly improved his time to 1m20.832s, becoming the new reference before a red flag interrupted the session.
After the break, Stromsted continued to increase his pace, achieving a time of 1m20.336s. This mark surpassed the best time from the first day, which had been set by Ugo Ugochukwu with 1m20.368s. Two consecutive red flags once again interrupted the competition, following accidents involving Michael Shin and Brando Badoer.
With just over half an hour to go in the morning session, Kato returned to the track and set the fastest time of the morning. Sharp and Stromsted finished in second and third position, respectively, ahead of another incident that triggered the fourth red flag of the day.
In the afternoon session, teams focused on race simulations to prepare for the upcoming race weekend in Monaco. AIX Racing was one of the standout teams, with Brad Benavides marking a time of 1m21.092s and showing consistent pace throughout the testing.
With less than a week until their competition in Monaco, AIX Racing drivers have made it clear that they are contenders for victory, while other teams prepare to compete in the immediate future. At the end of the day, Bruno Del Pino closed in on Benavides with a time of 1m21.894s, but his time was disqualified due to a technical infringement.
Hiyu Yamakoshi from Van Amersfoort Racing was the driver who completed the most laps, with a total of 66, showcasing his consistency during this testing phase. The final results from the second day indicate that competition is expected to be intense in the upcoming races.
Day 2 Results
Pos Driver Team Time Difference Laps
1 Taito Kato ART Grand Prix 1m20.297s 89
2 Louis Sharp Prema 1m20.322s +0.025s 103
3 Noah Stromsted Trident 1m20.336s +0.039s 100
4 Tuukka Taponen MP Motorsport 1m20.411s +0.114s 103
5 Freddie Slater Trident 1m20.427s +0.130s 108
6 Nicola Lacorte DAMS 1m20.451s +0.154s 61
7 Pedro Clerot Rodin Motorsport 1m20.495s +0.198s 89
8 Hiyu Yamakoshi Van Amersfoort Racing 1m20.501s +0.204s 118
9 Brando Badoer Rodin Motorsport 1m20.607s +0.310s 63
10 Enzo Deligny Van Amersfoort Racing 1m20.649s +0.352s 113
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_4b99363865ac9f342911caa2d99352f5bdaadfed