The final round of the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship started off extremely well for PREMA Theodore Racing at Hockenheim. The teams and drivers of the series are bracing for a challenging weekend, with the cars generally separated by tight margins and lots of battles expected on-track.
Marcus Armstrong initially qualified sixth fastest in Q1 but then struggled in both qualifying 2 and 3, setting 14th fastest time in both.
“Qualifying 1 was not too bad ending up in P6, but we struggled a little more than expected in Qualifying 2 as I could not find the right confidence in the car,” commented Armstrong. “We are set to do our best and recover as much as possible in race 2 and 3.”
Despite the highly competitive environment, the Italian squad managed to keep its name at the front end of the charts at the end of the opening day at the venue by scoring two pole positions including a front-row lockout for race 3. In the opening qualifying session, setting the grid for race 1, Chinese racer Guanyu Zhou posted a clean early lap, vaulting to the top of the charts and remaining virtually unchallenged. The Ferrari Driver Academy man struggled in qualifying 2 but rebounded to score an eighth place for the final race.
Cruising to pole for race 3 was fellow FDA man Robert Shwartzman. The Russian had another scintillating day, being among the most consistent men of the pack. In addition to his pole, he got two third-place starts for race 1 and 2 respectively.
Championship contender Mick Schumacher also had a positive day, putting himself in a good position to bring home the title. After scoring P7 in qualifying 1, he took two front row positions for race 2 and 3. On the other hand, Ralf Aron and Marcus Armstrong experienced some ups and downs. The Estonian improved throughout the day, climbing up to P5 for the third race, while the Kiwi got a sixth place for race 1 before slipping outside the top-10 in qualifying 2.
Armstrong’s rival Daniel Ticktum has qualified behind him in the first two sessions (ninth and 15th) and ahead in the third session, in tenth.
With both qualifying sessions scheduled today, Race 1 and 2 will be held tomorrow at 10:00 and 16:30 respectively.
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