Silverstone British F3: Felix Serralles wins and regains championship lead
Puerto Rican Felix Serralles won a pulsating British Formula 3 International Series reversed-grid race at Silverstone to edge back into the points lead with four races remaining
Serralles was on hand to benefit when a first-lap clash at Brooklands between poleman Pipo Derani and pre-race points leader Jack Harvey delayed both.
But he then had to soak up immense pressure from Fortec Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes team-mate Alex Lynn. It culminated on the penultimate lap when Serralles made a mistake exiting the Loop, getting two wheels on the grass and squiggling sideways.
Lynn's momentum carried him to the inside into the Aintree kink, but Serralles slammed the door, forcing Lynn onto the grass and into a spin.
The recovering Harvey, in turn, had been shadowing Lynn, and his Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen fell just four tenths short of Serralles at the chequered flag. The duo are now separated by just two points.
"I was struggling quite a lot to keep Alex behind," said Serralles, "but I was able to get it right. I dropped my two right-hand wheels off, Alex dove on the inside and I turned into the kink. I think he just hit a bump on the grass and spun."
First-race winner Jazeman Jaafar made his usual fine progress in reversed-grid races to take third, although the Carlin man was struggling on his older set of tyres and had to keep at bay team-mate Pietro Fantin (who claimed fastest lap) and the Double R Racing Dallara-Merc of Rupert Svendsen-Cook. Jaafar too is still well in the frame for the title, just eight points behind Serralles.
Lynn clambered back on to finish sixth ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr, while behind them a struggling Hannes van Asseldonk just fended off feuding Australians Geoff Uhrhane and Nick McBride.
In the National Class, T-Sport's Pedro Pablo Calbimonte fought into the lead, but the Bolivian went off at Chapel Curve, handing victory to Double R man Duvashen Padayachee.
Results - 10 laps: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc 19m33.909s 2. Jack Harvey Carlin Dallara-VW + 0.396s 3. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-VW + 3.062s 4. Pietro Fantin Carlin Dallara-VW + 3.479s 5. Rupert Svendsen-Cook Double R Dallara-Merc + 3.921s 6. Alex Lynn Fortec Dallara-Merc + 10.939s 7. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin Dallara-VW + 16.011s 8. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec Dallara-Merc + 18.888s 9. Geoff Uhrhane Double R Dallara-Merc + 19.006s 10. Nick McBride T-Sport Dallara-Nissan + 19.544s 11. Duvashen Padayachee Double R Dallara-Mugen* + 20.787s 12. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Mugen* + 22.690s 13. Harry Ticknell Carlin Dallara-VW + 32.224s Retirements: Pedro Calbimonte T-Sport Dallara-Mugen* 4 laps Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc 3 laps
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