SAM HALL
FORMULA 3
BARCELONA (ESP)
21-23 JUNE
ROUND 5/10
Arvid Lindblad dominated the Formula 3 feature race at the Spanish Grand Prix, moving himself firmly into the championship picture on a weekend where Gabriele Mini failed to score.
Prema-run Red Bull Junior Lindblad started Sunday’s race behind Christian Mansell (ART) on the front row and was initially content to sit behind the Australian. But he did not wait long to make an ultimately race-winning move, using DRS into Turn 1 on lap five.
While Lindblad slowly eased out his lead, Mansell was forced to focus on the threat from Luke Browning behind. Despite trailing within DRS range for the majority of the distance, the Hitech GP driver was never able to launch an attack and instead dropped back into the clutches of Leonardo Fornaroli (Trident) in the closing stages.
A switchback pass through the opening chicane, which was completed on the long-radius Turn 3, allowed Fornaroli to drop Browning from the podium, with Campos Racing’s Oliver Goethe pushing the Briton down to fifth by the chequered flag.
Prior to Lindblad’s Sunday victory, Mari Boya (Campos) had ensured there were nine different race winners from the opening nine races of the campaign, highlighting the depth of talent in the 2024 field. Much like Lindblad’s success, Boya appeared free to manage his race with ease from the front as he registered only the second top-three finish of his F3 career.
Boya’s path to victory was made considerably simpler on the opening lap when Trident drivers Santiago Ramos and Sami Meguetounif, who had lined up alongside one another on the front row, collided into Turn 1 after DRS had been enabled, the Frenchman bouncing across the grass before collecting his team-mate at the apex. Judged as being “wholly responsible” for the i
