Ernesto Rivera celebrated his first Feature Race win in the Formula 3 season at Spa, starting from fourth on the grid. The Red Bull junior showed patience and skill to take the lead and secure victory.
Ernesto Rivera, a Red Bull junior talent, made a strong impression by clinching his first Feature Race win of the Formula 3 season at Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Starting from fourth, the Campos Racing driver bided his time before executing a masterclass in overtaking during the latter stages of the race.
Rivera methodically worked his way past Tuukka Taponen and Hiyu Yamakoshi before making his move on Freddie Slater to seize the lead. Once in front, the Mexican driver quickly put daylight between himself and the chasing pack, slipping out of DRS range and cruising to victory.
Yamakoshi, driving for Van Amersfoort Racing, finished in second place after reclaiming the position from Slater with a strategic DRS maneuver late in the race. Slater, who had started from pole position, initially faltered with a poor start, but managed to regain the lead mid-race before ultimately slipping to third.
The race saw Slater, representing TRIDENT, unable to fend off the advances of Rivera and Yamakoshi, leaving him to defend against Mattia Colnaghi and Maciej Gladysz for the final podium spot. Slater's third-place finish also means he is now just a single point behind Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu, who did not score in this race, with the standings reading 104 to 103.
For those seeking a detailed account of the FIA Formula 3 Feature Race, further insights and analysis can be found on the official website.