Heartbreak for Xie after an impressive weekend at the Hungaroring
Round 9 - Budapest - Report
A breakout weekend for Gerrard Xie’s Rookie Formula 3 campaign came to a heartbreaking conclusion in Sunday’s Feature Race, but a sensational Qualifying performance, and maiden points finish in the Sprint, are undiminished.
Despite challenging track conditions following early morning rain, he delivered a measured performance in the wet, maintaining his fourth-place starting position for six laps. But as the race resumed on Lap 7 following a Safety Car intervention, he began to push and defend his position against the advancing pack behind. Unfortunately, the wet track got the better of him and he lost the rear, which punted him into the side of Ugochukwu’s car, ending his hopes of a double points finish in Budapest.
The rain abated, but the damp conditions persisted, and combined with multiple race neutralisations, progress through the field was difficult. Nonetheless, Martinius Stenshorne gained four places on his starting position to reach P16, while Nikita Johnson steadily made up eight positions to P21.
As the race switched to a timed format rather than laps, dry patches began to emerge, which prompted the bold decision to roll the dice and pit Martinius for slicks. This dropped him down the order, but the hope was for another Safety Car to turn the gamble into a gain. Meanwhile, Johnson stayed on the full-wet tyres mandated at the race start.
Unfortunately, the track remained too damp for dry tyres, and there was insufficient grip to be able to push. But with nothing to lose — being outside the points-paying positions — it was a gamble worth taking in a race with so many fits and starts.
Nikita finished the race in P21, while Martinius was unable to recover back to the midfield and came home P26.
Earlier in the weekend, Gerrard delivered a standout performance at one of the toughest tracks on the calendar, one notoriously difficult to Qualifying well at. Building on the confidence from his maiden GB3 pole and victory at the Hungaroring last season, he showed impressive determination and composure, which he carried through into Saturday’s Sprint Race.
Starting from ninth place on the reverse grid, he held his nerve against stiff competition and prevailed to climb to eighth, securing his first points finish of his debut campaign with P10. He can be very proud of what he has achieved this weekend and is trending in the right direction as the season enters its closing stages.
Gerrard Xie:
“Mixed feelings leaving the Hungaroring, after a rollercoaster of a weekend. In Sunday’s Feature Race we showed strong pace, as we were fighting for what could have been our first podium of my rookie F3 season. Unfortunately, due to an incident at Lap 7, we ended our race early. Still, plenty of positives to take into our final round in Monza next month. We’ll come back stronger!”
Martinius climbed to P12 in the Sprint Race, gaining eight places from his starting position. However, on lap 14, he was handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Coming just after a Safety Car period, when the chasing pack had bunched up, the penalty’s impact was more severe, dropping him to 23rd. Meanwhile, Nikita made up seven places to finish 22nd.
Martinius Stenshorne:
“Overall, this was not the weekend we wanted – and not how we wanted to go into the break. A difficult Qualifying was followed by a decent Sprint Race, then another difficult Feature Race. Already from Practice we were on the back foot – with some traffic and queuing in Qualifying it was difficult to make the most of it. We will do our best during the break, to be as well prepared as possible and finish the season well in Monza!”
The Formula 3 fraternity will now enjoy a long summer break before returning for the season finale at Monza from 5-7 September.
With the Drivers’ Championship already decided, Hitech TGR congratulate Rafael Câmara on a successful campaign.
