Encouraging pace goes unrewarded at challenging Budapest
Round 7 – Budapest – Report
Hitech leaves the Hungaroring frustrated after being unable to convert encouraging pace into championship points before the FIA Formula 3 summer break.
Jin Nakamura showed strong speed throughout the event, finishing fourth in Free Practice and qualifying inside the top 10, but incidents in both races prevented him from capitalising on that performance. Fionn McLaughlin and Michael Shin continued to fight through the field across two demanding races, maximising the opportunities presented during a challenging weekend.
The team now heads into the summer break with the focus on building from the pace shown in Budapest and returning stronger for the final rounds of the season.
Qualifying
After a positive Free Practice session, where Jin finished fourth fastest despite two red flag interruptions, Hitech headed into Qualifying aiming to maximise track position at the tight and technical Hungaroring.
Jin led the Hitech line-up with ninth place, securing fourth on the reverse grid for the Sprint Race and 12th on the grid for Sunday’s Feature Race.
Fionn qualified 20th, while Michael ended the session 23rd.
Sprint Race
The 19-lap Sprint Race got off to a difficult start for Hitech, with Jin lining up fourth on the reverse grid, Fionn starting 20th and Michael 25th.
Jin was caught up in an opening-lap incident at Turn 2 after making contact with Gerrard Xie while running alongside Gładysz. The contact sent Jin’s car over Xie’s rear wheels, bringing out an early Safety Car.
The intervention continued until the end of Lap 3, with Fionn moving up to 16th and Michael advancing to 22nd.
Once racing resumed, overtaking opportunities remained limited around the Hungaroring. Fionn continued to push through the remaining laps to finish 19th, while Michael finished in 23rd.
Feature Race
The 24-lap Feature Race saw Jin line up 12th on the grid, with Fionn starting 20th and Michael 31st.
Jin’s race was destroyed on the opening lap after becoming caught up in an incident with Xie and Gładysz. The contact dropped him to the back of the field before he returned his damaged car to the pits to retire from the race.
Fionn maintained his position in the early stages, while Michael made progress from the back of the grid, climbing to 27th by Lap 2 before another Safety Car period neutralised the race.
As incidents and retirements unfolded throughout the field, both Fionn and Michael continued to make progress. By Lap 18, Fionn had climbed to 18th, while Michael had advanced to 23rd.
With overtaking opportunities remaining limited, Fionn brought the car home in 17th, while Michael completed the Feature Race in 22nd.
Jin Nakamura:
“I was really unlucky for both races but I did what I could. My thanks to everyone for the support in the first half of the season. Now it's time to rest.”
Paul Bellringer, Hitech F3 Team Principal:
“Budapest was a frustrating weekend for us, especially after showing encouraging pace throughout the event. Jin’s Free Practice performance and qualifying result demonstrated the potential we had, but unfortunately incidents in both races meant we were unable to convert that into the points we were capable of scoring.Fionn and Michael did a good job of maximising the opportunities available in two difficult races, making progress through the field.”
“We head into the summer break knowing there is still plenty of potential within the team. We’ll use this time to pause and review, before resuming the hard work and preparation that will enable us to fight for stronger results in the final races.”
