Mercedes-backed Maximilian Guenther has taken his first win of the 2017 European Formula 3 season, holding off McLaren junior Lando Norris for the victory in race two at Pau.
Guenther started alongside polesitter Norris on the grid and managed to claim a much better start to lead at the first turn.
After receiving pressure from the Brit in the opening laps, who raced side-by-side with the German at points, the leader was able to stretch a lead to confirm victory by 1.9 seconds.
Norris’s second-place finish and rookie victory gives him the Drivers’ Championship lead from Joel Eriksson after the Swede crashed at Turn 7 from fourth in the final five minutes of the 33-minute race.
Prema’s Callum Ilott completed the podium, 3.3s behind Norris. Harrison Newey inherited fourth ahead of a Hitech GP trio of Ralf Aron, Jake Hughes and Nikita Mazepin.
Carlin’s Ferdinand Habsburg, Jehan Daruvala and Jake Dennis completed the points positions, with Dennis finishing 20s adrift of the winner.
Mick Schumacher and Pedro Piquet – sons of Formula 1 champions Michael and Nelson – finished 11th and 13th. Red Bull athlete David Beckmann was 14th.
Joey Mawson was another spectacular retirement in a generally calm race, pitting with left-rear suspension damage late on. Ferrari protege Guanyu Zhou also failed to finish the race.
Result:
