PREMA Racing wins 2024 FIA Formula 3 Team Championship
PREMA Racing had an up-and-down day at Spa-Francorchamps as the FIA Formula 3 Championship weekend at the Belgian venue was sealed off in damp conditions today.
Starting from outside the top-10, the team's three drivers were aiming to make positive gains, but it didn't happen eventually, although PREMA Racing was able to secure the Team Championship with one round to go.
The inside part of the grid was forced to start with slick tyres on a damper tarmac and that made for a hectic getaway. Dino Beganovic and Gabriele Minì, who were sharing row 6, got in the middle of a turn 1 melee which saw the Italian get turned and the Swede drop a couple of positions.
Minì delivered a solid comeback, although only a small portion of laps were run in green-flag conditions due to multiple contacts, and finished in P14, 15 places up his lap 1 position. Beganovic eventually crossed the finish line in P11.
Starting from P27, Arvid Lindblad made a great recovery in the few green laps available. Unfortunately, he was punted into a spin from behind on lap 10 and had to retire.
#1 - Dino Beganovic
“Not a lot of racing done today. I had a decent start and I got on the outside in T1. We were three or four-wide and obviously, it was not going to work, so I lost some places there. Still, I managed to stay in the race. After that, I got one position at every restart. It was positive but not enough for the points and it was not easy to keep the tires in the right place when it's this cold. When you go out of line, you get into the wet and the tires get cold. Tricky conditions, but I think we have learned something today, especially in the races. We made a step and it's positive for Monza. Now we have a break and then the last push. Super happy to win the Team Championship again. It tells us that we are doing a good job, and all three drivers are in contention for the title. It shows that we are very consistent, which is always the case in PREMA."
#2 - Gabriele Minì
"Not what we wanted for the Feature Race, far from ideal. I got spun around in T1, then it was all about recovering, managed to gain back a few positions on track, and with a few crashes around me. I managed to get back to P14. We know we have work to do for Monza and we still have work to do for the championship. Very happy for PREMA winning the Team Championship, now we got another one to try and win in Monza!"
#3 - Arvid Lindblad
"Not really know what to say. I made a great start and from P27, I was up to around P15 on the first safety car. I was trying to go forward, but with so many laps under the safety car, we couldn't do much. Then I was making a move in T8, and another driver locked up and hit me. I don't know what else I could have done differently, it is what it is. Great to see PREMA win the Team Championship, now on to the Driver Championship!"