Felix Rosenqvist claimed a podium finish at this weekend’s FIA Formula 3 European Championship round at the Norisring, but otherwise endured a challenging time at the Nuremberg street venue.
Rosenqvist came home third in a rain-hit opening race of the weekend on Saturday, and went into the subsequent second encounter – which marked the Swede’s 100th European Championship F3 start – hoping to make progress from an uncharacteristic 11th on the grid following difficulties in qualifying. After swiftly rising to fifth, however, the Prema Powerteam man was handed a drive-through penalty for an inaccurate position on the grid before the start, and tumbled down the order to eventually cross the line 17th.
Sunday’s Race 3 was another non-scoring affair for Rosenqvist, who made a poor start and then struggled to 13th place with overheating brakes.
In the overall championship standings, Rosenqvist remains third, now sitting 66.5 points adrift of leader Charles Leclerc of Monaco.
“We haven’t done a particularly good job this weekend and have reason for a bit of self-criticism,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “The first race was OK, but then I made a mistake in parking up ahead of my grid slot at the start of Race 2. I have a low seating position in the car and just couldn’t see the marks. We have already changed our procedures to make sure it doesn’t happen again. In the final race, we then struggled badly with the brakes, and with tyre degradation. As a team, we haven’t been good enough this weekend, but we know where it went wrong and I’m fully committed to turning it right again for the next race.”
The seventh round of the season takes place on July 10-12, as the FIA F3 European Championship returns to the Dutch circuit of Zandvoort following a one-year absence. The undulating seaside venue has been the scene of some of Felix Rosenqvist’s most notable successes, including two wins in the standalone Masters of Formula 3 event.