PREMA Racing takes driver title with Oscari Piastri
PREMA Racing and Oscar Piastri won the 2020 FIA Formula 3 driver title today at Mugello, with the Australian taking a hard-fought seventh place after starting race 1 down in P16 on the grid and progressing throughout the weekend.
Race 2 delivered plenty of action since its earliest stages and, unfortunately, Logan Sargeant lost his title chances during the opening lap. The American, who was tied in points with Piastri after race 1, was squeezed by two other cars and the unavoidable contact sent him off into the gravel.
At that point, Piastri knew he had to gain as many positions as possible, so he moved up from P10 up to P7 to secure the 2020 crown. For PREMA Racing, it is the second straight driver title to add up to the Team Championship clinched in the previous round at Monza. For the 19-year-Old Australian, supported by the Renault Sport Academy, it is the second title in two years after winning the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup.
After taking a stunning win in yesterday’s Race 1, Danish racer Frederik Vesti started from the 10th position and kept clean throughout the whole run, scoring the points he needed to seal the fourth place.
#1 OSCAR PIASTRI
“We did It! Feels so great to take the title at the end of such a crazy and challenging race. I had a really good start and made up quite a few spots. Then I struggled a little bit after the safety-car but picked up a few positions again at the end to seal the deal. Massive thanks to the team for believing in me and giving me a great car all-year.“
Qualifying: P11
Race 1: P11
Race 2: P7
Fastest lap: 1:35.699
Fastest lap: 1:38.474
Fastest lap: 1:38.306
#2 FREDERIK VESTI
“Today at Mugello it was a decent race, we started in P10 and finished in P9. Not super happy with that result, but we got the fastest lap of the race. We got stuck a little bit in the DRS range, used up our tyres and also struggled with them in traffic. I lost four spots in the first five laps so I had to drive hard and make good moves to come through the field. I eventually lost a bit of tyre life towards the end, and just aimed to finish where I was and take P4 in the championship. Congratulation to Prema for the amazing job they did this year and to Oscar for winning the title. For me, it was an up and down season but I learned a lot and I look forward to the future!”
Qualifying: P4
Race 1: P1
Race 1: P9
Fastest lap: 1:35.548
Fastest lap: 1:37.691
Fastest lap: 1:37.879
#3 LOGAN SARGEANT
“It is just so bad to end the season this way, being sandwiched between two people heading into turn 2, which is the tightest part of the track. It’s a pity. We were in a great position to fight for the championship but couldn’t get past the opening lap.”
Qualifying: P2
Race 1: P6
Race 2: DNF
Fastest lap: 1:35.362
Fastest lap: 1:37.874
Source | Photo: PREMA Racing