Filip Ugran

FIA FORMULA 3-SOCHI,24-26 SEPTEMBER 2021

The FIA F3 Teams met up at the intriguing Sochi (RUS) circuit, as ever in 2021 racing as one of the support races for the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Because this was the last event of 2021, and the winner of the championship and the following positions were not yet decided, an exciting weekend was in prospect. Competition was tough and everybody gave it their best shot to try and impress.

RACE ONE QUALIFYING

Friday, 24/09/21, 13.00 – 13.30, Weather: Sunny, 17°C

The free practice on Friday morning took place on a dry track. None of our drivers knew the demanding track. Calan finished in 15^th place, Johnathan was right behind him in 16^th place and Filip was 27^th.
The qualifying session followed in the early afternoon. With 30 vehicles on the track, it got very hectic and our drivers got stuck in traffic. In the end Johnathan managed to secure 3^rd place on the grid with an excellent performance. This was clearly his best place in a qualification so far! Calan and Filip fought hard to get an optimal lap. A break with a red flag didn’t make things any easier. In the end, Calan was 21^st and Filip 24^th.

FIA F3 CHAMPIONSHIP

RACE ONE (40 MINUTES)

Friday, 24/09/21, 17.25, Weather: Cloudy, 15°C

Because the weather forecast for Saturday predicted a lot of rain, the first race of the FIA F3 was held on Friday evening. The sun was shining and the competition could begin under the best conditions. Johnathan avoided an accident after the start and lost some momentum. He fell back to 14^th place. But when he found his rhythm again after a few laps and set fast lap times, he soon managed to regain a few positions. In the end he crossed the finish line in a good 12^th place, which meant pole position for race 2. Filip got off to a great start. After the first lap he was in 18^th place. But a few laps later, after a small contact, which sent him flying over the curbs he lost momentum. He fell back to 25^th place. In the end he finished in this position with a slightly damaged car. Calan moved between places 21 and 20 during long laps, and finally managed to finish the race in 19^th place.
Because Dennis Hauger scored good points in this race and, in contrast, Jack Doohan didn’t collect a single point, this meant that it was already clear who would win the 2021 FIA F3 championship. The champion’s name was Dennis Hauger!

FIA F3 CHAMPIONSHIP

RENNEN 2 (40 MINUTEN)

Saturday, 25/09/21, 13.40, Weather: Rain, 15°C

As previously suspected, the weather on Saturday was very unfriendly. It had rained heavily during the night, and heavy thunderstorms came in the morning. It only cleared up at the time of the F1 qualifications. But the F3 race had to be canceled due to the averse weather conditions.

No result. Race cancelled.

FIA F3 CHAMPIONSHIP

RACE THREE (40 MINUTES)

Sunday, 26/09/21, 09.55, Weather: Cloudy, 15°C

On Sunday the weather was friendlier again and the program could be carried out as planned. Johnathan started from excellent 3^rd place on the grid, which he had achieved in qualifying. Johnathan kept up with the super fast race pace of Doohan and Novalak for the first couple of laps. As a rookie, he didn’t have the experience to hold onto the position until the end. Nevertheless, after a fast race, he reached the excellent 6^th place, which was clearly his best result of the season. Calan started from 21^st place and managed to climb up several positions during the race. He achieved a very good result with 12^th place. Filip also managed to improve steadily during the race. Starting from 24^th place, he saw the checkered flag in 19^th place.

I hope that you enjoyed the 2021 season as much as I did. Thank you for your support and see you soon!