Worse than Abu Dhabi! Breathtaking F3 title fight decided in a bizarre way

Pausing and waiting for the result after the race! Formula 3 had the last race of the season on the schedule. All was set for a thrilling battle for the title between the five drivers, but the reality was different.

The race started in front of virtually empty grandstands. Due to the poor organisation of the organisers, huge crowds of fans were waiting outside the gates, with no opportunity to support their favourites on the track.

What had been an exciting race was interrupted with five laps to go when Kush Maini lost control of his car, which was subsequently hit by Brad Benavides.

At that point, Barbadian Zane Maloney was leading the race ahead of Oliver Bearman and championship leader Victor Martins. This order would guarantee the title for Martins.

But during the red flags, two very important messages came from the lead. Martins was handed a five-second penalty for repeatedly breaking track limits. It was soon announced that the race would not be restarted.

There was a long discussion about how Martins’ penalty would be implemented. The decision was not made until 25 minutes after the red flags were displayed.

The stopwatch stopped two laps before Maini and Vidales’ accident and five seconds were added to Martins’ time there. The Frenchman dropped just one place and was able to celebrate his title.

So instead of a thrilling race to the last lap, followed by an explosion of joy as he crossed the line, the championship winner and the spectators were treated to a 20-minute wait for a message from race management.

Martins, however, did not let this dampen his joy. In addition to the title, the twenty-one-year-old driver has certainly secured a place in Formula 2 for next year.

Sources