Piastri secures victory, as Aussies shine in F3
Saturday 04 July, 2020
Photo: Formula 3
Oscar Piastri has had an unforgettable FIA Formula 3 championship debut in Austria with victory in the championship's first race of the 2020 season, while fellow Australian Alex Peroni secured a maiden podium with third.
Beginning the race on the second row, Piastri had a dramatic start after making contact with polesitter Sebastián Fernández on the first turn, but the Victorian fortunately sustained minimal damage and he quickly slotted into second place as a result.
Replacing Lirim Zendeli for top spot shortly after, Piastri then went on to comfortably lead the field for the remainder of the race, crossing the finish line just short of two seconds ahead of Prema Racing teammate Logan Sargeant.
While Piastri enjoyed a straight forward run to the win, Peroni on the other hand had his hands full in the fight for the last podium position, as he picked up a number of positions early in the race to move into third, before undergoing a tough battle with Frederik Vesti and Zendeli for the rest of the race.
It was a incredible comeback race for Peroni, whose first season in F3 last year ended prematurely when he had a horrific accident at Monza. But all his hardship looked to be behind him as he put on a classy display to hold onto the podium place. Peroni also secured the fastest lap of the race as he pushed to secure his podium finish.
The other Australians making their F3 debut today were Jack Doohan and Calan Williams. Doohan finished the race in 14th and Williams crossed the line in 21st.
The FIA Formula 3 Championship's second race of the opening round takes place tomorrow at 5:40pm AEST. The race will be shown live on Fox Sports and Kayo.