– Qualifying disaster strikes for Ferrari Driver Academy member
– Swede puts on valiant fightbacks in mixed British weather
Dino Beganovic confronted a mammoth task in this weekend’s two FIA Formula 3 Championship races at Silverstone, battling to overcome a qualifying engine issue that left the Swede at the back of the grid.
Racing at the legendary British Grand Prix track for the first time, Beganovic laid down a promising foundation in practice, immediately going third fastest.
The Ferrari Driver Academy member, however, would suffer a devastating setback in qualifying when an engine issue forced him out of the session before setting a flying lap – leaving Beganovic in 30th and last on the grid for both of the weekend’s pair of races.
“What happened in qualifying was a real shame,” says Dino Beganovic. “I had such a good feeling immediately in practice, and starting from last in both races obviously set the tone for the entire weekend. It’s tough, but it’s a part of motorsport.”
Shifting into damage limitation mode, Beganovic almost pulled off the impossible in Saturday’s sprint race, hauling himself briefly into the points-paying top ten in mixed conditions after his Prema squad gambled for a mid-race shift onto wet-weather tyres.
With the track drying up in the final few laps, however, Beganovic ultimately slipped back again (as did others opting for the same strategy), ultimately finishing 13th.
In Sunday’s feature race, Beganovic then made a similar rise through the pack to 14th, completing a total of 33 places gained across the weekend.
“I think we did the best we could reasonably expect given the circumstances this weekend,” Beganovic concludes. “The team did exactly the right choice given our situation by gambling on wets in the first race. It could have worked, and it was worth trying. We didn’t score any points this weekend, but at least I had some fun along the way with a lot of close racing and good overtakes. We will regroup and get back.”
After the misfortune this weekend, Beganovic now slips to fifth in the FIA Formula 3 Championship standings, albeit just two points from third place.The championship resumes in Budapest on July 21-23.
ARTICLE UPDATED following Race 2 post-event penalties. Dino promoted from 16th to 14th in the final results.
RESULTS
FIA Formula 3 Championship
Rd. 7 – Silverstone (GBR)
Race 1 (full results)
1: F. Colapinto (ARG), MP Motorsport
2: G. Bortoleto (BRA), Trident
3: C. Mansell (GBR), Campos Racing
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13: D. Beganovic (SWE), PREMA Racing
Race 2 (full results)
1: O. Goethe (GER), Trident
2: L. Fornaroli (ITA), Trident
3: J. Martí (ESP), Campos Racing
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14: D. Beganovic (SWE), PREMA Racing
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
FIA Formula 3 Championship
After 7/10 rounds (full standings)
1: G. Bortoleto (BRA), Trident, 128 p.
2: J. Martí (ESP), Campos Racing, 92 p.
3: G. Minì (ITA), Hitech Pulse-Eight, 77 p.
4: P. Aron (EST), PREMA Racing, 77 p.
5: D. Beganovic (SWE), PREMA Racing, 75 p.
