Hartley relieved to be back on track

Brendon Hartley was relieved to get his British Formula 3 title charge back on track with a pair of victories at Thruxton yesterday.

The Red Bull-backed Carlin Motorsport driver was only eighth in the championship before the weekend, having spun or crashed out of races while fighting for the lead twice already this season.

But the dominant double win at Thruxton lifted him to fourth in the standings, just 10 points off the lead.

He gained a lot of confidence from a weekend with no costly setbacks and says he has put the earlier disappointments of the season behind him.

"I'm really happy with what I did this weekend," he told autosport.com. "I didn't crack under pressure, I didn't make any mistakes, and I was quick enough to break the tow and win both races.

"Obviously it's a big change after the last race at Snetterton (where he spun out of the lead) because things had started to look quite bad. But I knew I had the speed if I could just stay on the road.

"I've had my problems this year and I have made too many mistakes, but it's time to forget about that and look forward to the rest of the season because I'm right back in contention."

Hartley will be looking to reproduce that form next time out on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

"It will be hard because I've never driven Brands in my life, but I can learn new tracks quite quickly so, apart from knowing a few little secrets, I should be up there after a few laps (in practice)."

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Hartley leads second Carlin front row

Hartley does the double at Thruxton

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Hartley does the double at Thruxton

Brendon Hartley completed a near-perfect British Formula 3 weekend at Thruxton with his second victory of the day in race two.

In contrast to his fight back to the front of the field in the earlier race, he made a strong start from pole position this time and led every lap of the race.

Although he was never able to drop second-placed Oliver Turvey, he kept his Carlin Motorsport team-mate at a safe distance each side of a mid-race safety car period to complete his much-needed domination of the weekend and his return to the championship battle.

Turvey too improved his title hopes with his second podium of the day, with Jaime Alguersuari making up for the disappointment of his retirement this morning to complete an all-Carlin rostrum.

Sergio Perez eventually triumphed in the race-long scrap for fourth place with Michael Devaney. Perez lost the place briefly before the safety car period, but re-passed Devaney at the Club Chicane to reclaim the place.

Sebastian Hohenthal survivied a collision with Atte Mustonen at the chicane to finish sixth. Hohenthal bounced over the kerb in the middle of the chicane and clouted Mustonen on the exit. He was able to continue unscathed but Mustonen spun and couldn't restart his engine.

John Martin had to make do with seventh place as compensation for being denied a reward for his strong pace in race one. Henry Arundel, Sam Abay, and Philip Major rounded out the top 10.

Steven Guerrero took his first National Class victory, holding off the charge of Jay Bridger in second place and Andy Meyrick who came through the field from the back of the grid to third.

Pos Driver Team Car Time 1. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 29:29.816 2. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M +0.430 3. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M +2.615 4. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H +4.253 5. Michael Devaney Ultimate M/M +4.724 6. Sebastian Hohenthal Fortec D/M +5.389 7. John Martin Double R D/M +6.695 8. Henry Arundel Double R D/M +7.750 9. Sam Abay Carlin D/M +8.552 10. Philip Major Fortec D/M +9.841 11. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M +10.713 12. Max Chilton Hitech D/M +13.959 13. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H +15.466 14. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H +15.876 15. Andy Meyrick Carlin (N) D/H +17.325 16. Alistair Jackson Ultimate M/M +21.736 17. Viktor Jensen Nexa D/H +22.308 18. Kristjan Einar Carlin (N) D/H +24.451 19. Jordan Williams Loctite (N) D/H +28.592 Retirements: Pos Driver Team Car Laps Atte Mustonen Double R D/M 12 laps Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H 7 laps Salman Al-Khalifa T-Sport (N) D/H 7 laps Ricardo Teixeira Ultimate M/M 7 laps Nick Tandy JTR M/M 2 laps Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M 1 lap Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H 1 lap Fastest lap, Turvey 1:07.113 on lap 4 D/M = Dallara Mercedes, M/M = Mygale Mercedes, D/H = Dallara Honda

Hartley leads second Carlin front row

Senna, Grosjean rue tech failures

Maldonado seeks Monaco double

Hartley takes first Thruxton victory

Brendon Hartley earned a hard-fought victory in the first British Formula 3 race of the day at Thruxton.

He had dropped down to fourth on the first lap when he came off worst from three Carlin Motorsport team-mates going into the first corner side-by-side at the head of the field. Oliver Turvey grabbed the inside line and held off Jaime Alguersuari, while Hartley had to run wide and was passed by John Martin on the exit.

But the New Zealander kept his head and began a textbook charge back to the front of the field. He picked off Martin on the next lap and quickly chased down Alguersuari before diving inside his fellow Red Bull driver at the Club Chicane. It took him a few laps to close up to the rear wing of Turvey and the fight for the lead lasted just a couple more laps until Hartley made the decisive move at the chicane.

He was able to break the tow as Turvey and Marcus Ericsson battled over second place and had the luxury of a two-second cushion for the remaining laps.

"Three into one was never going to work at the start so I had to get out of that, but even when I got slipstreamed down to fourth I kept my cool because I knew I was fast enough to get it all back after qualifying," Hartley told autosport.com.

"I picked them off one by one and once I'd broken the tow I was away. I really want a second strong result this afternoon, though. I've had too many good results followed by bad ones, it's important to put a run together."

Ericsson did his best to give chase to Hartley, but it took him two laps to depose Turvey and once the tow was broken he didn't have enough pace to close the gap again. He was able to trade tenths with Hartley, and set the fastest lap, but was left still waiting for his elusive first F3 victory.

"It was quite easy to pass people up to second and I thought I'd be able to close up quickly, but he just kept the gap the same," he said. "If I'd passed Turvey a lap earlier I might have been able to have a fight over the lead but once the tyres started to go off I realised I wasn't going to catch him and had to take another second."

Turvey held onto third, ahead of Carlin team-mate Sam Abay and Fortec's Sebastian Hohenthal, who had quiet races in fourth and fifth.

The championship fight has closed up after the race with the top three failing to add significant points to their tallies. Atte Mustonen and Sergio Perez finished sixth and seventh, while Alguersuari scored no points when he dropped out with a puncture.

He struggled for pace with a slow puncture from the start, and made contact with John Martin as the pair fought over fourth place. He limped on with the wounded tyre until it finally gave way and he pitted to retire. Martin, meanwhile, lost out on what would have been his best drive of the year when the contact with Alguersuari sent him spinning off the road and down to the tail of the field.

Andy Meyrick took another National Class victory, but had to soak up increasing pressure from Jay Bridger in the last few laps. Bridger caught Meyrick as the pair passed Max Chilton and had a couple of runs up the hill to the chicane, but Meyrick was able to defend the place comfortably in the end.

Pos Driver Team Car Time 1. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 27:09.455 2. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M +2.296 3. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M +6.587 4. Sam Abay Carlin D/M +8.202 5. Sebastian Hohenthal Fortec D/M +13.799 6. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M +15.926 7. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H +17.088 8. Nick Tandy JTR M/M +19.154 9. Michael Devaney Ultimate M/M +22.081 10. Henry Arundel Double R D/M +26.201 11. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M +29.706 12. Andy Meyrick Carlin (N) D/H +35.122 13. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H +35.727 14. Max Chilton Hitech D/M +37.403 15. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H +39.443 16. Philip Major Fortec D/M +41.383 17. John Martin Double R D/M +54.970 18. Kristjan Einar Carlin (N) D/H +57.869 19. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H +58.417 20. Jordan Williams Loctite (N) D/H +1:09.038 21. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H +1:20.046 22. Viktor Jensen Nexa D/H +2 laps 23. Salman Al-Khalifa T-Sport (N) D/H +3 laps Retirements: Pos Driver Team Car Laps Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 18 laps Alistair Jackson Ultimate M/M 15 laps Ricardo Teixeira Ultimate M/M 9 laps Fastest lap, Ericsson 1:07.228 on lap 5D/M = Dallara Mercedes, M/M = Mygale Mercedes, D/H = Dallara Honda

Hartley leads second Carlin front row

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Alguersuari and Hartley on front row

Hartley does the double at Thruxton

Senna, Grosjean rue tech failures

Vietoris wins truncated second race

Christian Vietoris reaped the rewards of his excellent charge through the field yesterday to claim victory in the second Formula 3 Euro Series race of the weekend at the Norisring, despite having only qualified 27th for race one.

That 14th row start proved not to be an insurmountable obstacle for the German, who reached sixth in yesterday's race then put in a superlative drive to score an unlikely win in the reverse grid second race.

Erik Janis had moved slowly away from pole, but managed to fend off Robert Wickens on his left and Vietoris on his right on the run down to Grundig.

Edoardo Mortara jumped ahead of fourth place starter Jon Lancaster, but was swiped by the Englishman on the exit of the corner. Mortara completed a half-spin, and came to a rest broadside across the track.

The circuit quickly became blocked, and there was no other option than to throw out the red flags as the fifth to the fifteenth row starters were unable to find a way through the impasse.

Koudai Tsukakoshi, Henkie Waldschmidt, Rodolfo Gonzalez and Dani Clos were unable to take the restart. Stefano Coletti's Prema machine was mounted on top of another car, but the Monegasque not only took the part in the race, but would pick up a point for sixth.

The pile-up cut the race distance and necessitated a single-file, rolling, restart. From third on the grid, courtesy of his sixth place finish on Saturday, Vietoris disposed of Wickens for second on lap two, and passed pole-sitter Janis for the lead next time around on the approach to the Grundig hairpin.

"After qualifying I was really disappointed," said Vietoris. "The accident in qualifying was my mistake, but I did a really good job on Saturday and starting from the second row today I knew I had a chance. As soon as everything was up to temperature my car was perfect."

Signature-Plus' Wickens had a lonely Sunday morning drive on his way to second in only his second F3 meeting.

Teammate Mortara finished third, unable to offer a challenge to the Canadian after damaging his car in the original start accident, and sustaining further damage, to his right front wing endplate, in the aftermath of a collision involving Janis and Lancaster on the restart. Lancaster had attempted a pass on the Czech at Grundig, but only succeeded in sending Janis into a spin and ending his own race with damaged suspension.

Mortara resiliently fought off teammate Jean Karl Vernay for the final place on the podium. The Italian extends a 15 point lead in the classification over race one victor, Nico Hulkenberg, who had a drama-filled day.

His ART car would not budge from his grid slot to set off on the formation lap, but the carnage threw the German a life-line and he lined up for the restart from the back of the grid. A heavy accident, vaulting over the rear of Martin Plowman on lap three, ended Hulkenberg's slim chance of scoring points.

Reverse grid specialist Renger van der Zande finished fifth, ahead of Coletti, as a further tangle involving James Jakes, Daniel Campos and Richard Philippe brought the race to an early end and meant that only half points would be awarded.

Pos Driver Team Car Time 1. Christian Vietoris Mucke D/M 38:22.220 2. Robert Wickens Signature D/V + 4.692 3. Edoardo Mortara Signature D/V + 6.643 4. Jean-Karl Vernay Signature D/V + 7.223 5. Renger van der Zande Prema D/M + 8.125 6. Stefano Coletti Prema D/M + 9.380 7. Kazuya Oshima Manor D/M + 9.788 8. Sam Bird Manor D/M + 10.046 9. Jules Bianchi ART D/M + 11.686 10. Jens Klingmann RC D/V + 12.248 11. Daniel Campos HBR D/M + 13.103 12. Michael Klein Jo Zeller D/M + 13.265 13. James Jakes ART D/M + 13.502 14. Cheng Cong Fu RC D/V + 14.177 15. Franck Mailleux Signature D/V + 14.697 16. Richard Philippe Carlin D/M + 15.174 17. Niall Breen Manor D/M + 15.726 18. Mika Maki Mucke D/M + 17.711 19. Yann Clairay SG D/M + 18.574 20. Maximilian Gotz RC D/V + 42.420 21. Basil Shaaban HBR D/M + 1 lap 22. Erik Janis Mucke D/M + 1 lap Retirements:Driver Team Car Laps Jon Lancaster ART D/M 6 Martin Plowman RC D/V 4 Nico Hulkenberg ART D/M 3 Rodolfo Gonzalez Carlin D/M 1 Koudai Tsukakoshi Manor D/M 0 Henkie Waldschmidt SG D/M 0 Daniel Clos Prema D/M 0 D/M = Dallara-Mercedes, D/V = Dallara-Volkswagen

Maki wins second Mugello race

Grosjean wins bizarre sprint race

Hulkenberg wins race one at Mugello

Hartley leads second Carlin front row

Brendon Hartley will start both British Formula 3 races at Thruxton tomorrow from the front row after qualifying on pole position for race two this afternoon.

The New Zealander went one better than in the day's earlier session, setting his best time with 12 minutes remaining and returning to the pits to save his tyres for tomorrow's traditionally rubber-eating races.

"It's been a really good day," Hartley told autosport.com. "A first and a second, and I've done the least amount of laps of everyone so hopefully my tyres will be in good shape tomorrow. I think we got the strategy just right."

Oliver Turvey completed the second all-Carlin Motorsport front row of the day with the second quickest time, ahead of Marcus Ericsson who also went one place better than this morning with third place. The top three cars were again separated by less than five hundredths of a second.

Nick Tandy set the provisional quickest time just before Hartley's best effort, but he was eventually pushed down to fourth in his JTR Mygale.

Atte Mustonen and Sergio Perez completed the top six, just ahead of Jaime Alguersuari, who could only follow this morning's pole position with seventh place for race two.

Jay Bridger set the best time of the National Class runners in 16th place overall, while class leader Andy Meyrick caused a red flag when he spun off early in the session and will have to start from the back row of the grid.

Pos Driver Team Car Time Gap 1. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 1:06.695 2. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M 1:06.730 +0.035 3. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M 1:06.741 +0.046 4. Nick Tandy JTR M/M 1:06.825 +0.130 5. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M 1:06.838 +0.143 6. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H 1:06.848 +0.153 7. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 1:06.951 +0.256 8. John Martin Double R D/M 1:06.984 +0.289 9. Sebastian Hohenthal Fortec D/M 1:07.025 +0.330 10. Michael Devaney Ultimate M/M 1:07.103 +0.408 11. Sam Abay Carlin D/M 1:07.197 +0.502 12. Henry Arundel Double R D/M 1:07.253 +0.558 13. Max Chilton Hitech D/M 1:07.370 +0.675 14. Philip Major Fortec D/M 1:07.458 +0.763 15. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H 1:07.493 +0.798 16. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M 1:07.553 +0.858 17. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H 1:07.810 +1.115 18. Ricardo Teixeira Ultimate M/M 1:07.810 +1.115 19. Ali Jackson Ultimate M/M 1:07.852 +1.157 20. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H 1:07.961 +1.266 21. Salman Al-Khalifa T-Sport (N) D/H 1:08.012 +1.317 22. Viktor Jensen Nexa D/H 1:08.063 +1.368 23. Kristjan Einar Carlin (N) D/H 1:08.266 +1.571 24. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H 1:08.463 +1.768 25. Andy Meyrick Carlin (N) D/H 1:09.558 +2.863 26. Jordan Williams Loctite (N) D/H 1:09.849 +3.154

Alguersuari and Hartley on front row

Hartley on pole for race two

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Hartley takes Snetterton pole

Buemi leads Arden one-two in sprint

Alguersuari and Hartley on front row

Carlin Motorsport team-mates and rivals Jaime Alguersuari and Brendon Hartley will share the front row for the first British Formula 3 race at Thruxton tomorrow.

The Red Bull-backed duo, who both retired from the opening race of the season when they collided while fighting for the lead, headed Oliver Turvey in a Carlin 1-2-3 with all three cars covered by 0.037s.

The combination of the high temperatures and the abrasive nature of the Thruxton circuit meant that most drivers completed only a handful of flying laps before returning to pits to sit out the rest of the session.

Marcus Ericsson was the only car in the top 15 still circulating in the last five minutes, but he was unable to improve his time from earlier in the session, which was good enough for fourth on the grid.

Australian John Martin produced his best showing of the season so far to qualify his Raikkonen Robertson Racing car at the head of the third row, which he will share with Sergio Perez, who lies just a point behind championship leader Alguersuari going into this weekend's rounds.

Sam Abay made it four Carlin cars in the top seven, just ahead of Michael Devaney who was the top Mygale runner in eighth. Fellow Mygale driver Nick Tandy and National Class leader Andy Meyrick completed the top 10.

Pos Driver Team Car Time Gap 1. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 1:06.821 2. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 1:06.846 +0.025 3. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M 1:06.858 +0.037 4. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M 1:06.933 +0.112 5. John Martin Double R D/M 1:07.086 +0.265 6. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H 1:07.136 +0.315 7. Sam Abay Carlin D/M 1:07.195 +0.374 8. Michael Devaney Ultimate M/M 1:07.231 +0.410 9. Nick Tandy JTR M/M 1:07.453 +0.632 10. Andy Meyrick Carlin (N) D/H 1:07.466 +0.645 11. Sebastian Hohenthal Fortec D/M 1:07.531 +0.710 12. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M 1:07.756 +0.935 13. Henry Arundel Double R D/M 1:07.803 +0.982 14. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M 1:07.868 +1.047 15. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H 1:07.896 +1.075 16. Max Chilton Hitech D/M 1:07.914 +1.093 17. Ricardo Teixeira Ultimate M/M 1:07.933 +1.112 18. Ali Jackson Double R D/M 1:08.161 +1.340 19. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H 1:08.199 +1.378 20. Philip Major Fortec D/M 1:08.219 +1.398 21. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H 1:08.464 +1.643 22. Viktor Jensen Nexa D/H 1:08.504 +1.683 23. Salman Al-Khalifa T-Sport (N) D/H 1:08.864 +2.043 24. Kristjan Einar Carlin (N) D/H 1:08.891 +2.070 25. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H 1:09.181 +2.360 26. Jordan Williams Loctite (N) D/H 1:10.409 +3.588 (D/M = Dallara Mercedes, M/M = Mygale Mercedes, D/H = Dallara Mugen-Honda)

Maldonado seeks Monaco double

Maldonado on top at Monaco

Filippi sets the pace at Paul Ricard

Hartley leads second Carlin front row

Hulkenberg dominates race one

Nico Hulkenberg led every lap to win his second Formula 3 Euro Series race of the season in a controlled drive at the Norisring.

The local man lost his pole advantage away from the line when he was passed by Mika Maki, but recovered the position when Maki overshot Turn 1, the Grundigkehre, on the opening lap.

Maki's error only cost the Finn one position, but at the S-Kurve chicane he was assaulted by an over-ambitious Jules Bianchi. Maki was launched into a heavy impact with the concrete retaining wall on the exit of the corner, and both men retired.

Bianchi's ART teammate James Jakes had already had his hopes sabotaged by a nudge into a spin from sixth starter Jean Karl Vernay at the hairpin.

Koudai Tuskakoshi inherited second position, and the Honda protege maintained the place until the end of the race. Tsukakoshi traded fastest laps with Hulkenberg at mid-distance, but was always on the back-foot having been delayed by the Maki/Bianchi shunt.

"I pushed to create a five second margin over Koudai," said Hulkenberg. "With that gap it meant I could overtake the slower cars slowly and keep cool.

"At this track you don't have to worry about dirty air from the car in front making passing difficult, so I think tomorrow, as long as my car remains good under braking, I should be able to pass a lot of cars."

Hulkenberg's win moves him ahead of Maki in the standings, 13 points behind Mortara.

Vernay drafted passed Venezuelan Rodolfo Gonzalez for third, and the final place on the podium, into Grundigkehre on lap 11.

"It was crazy in the early laps," said Vernay. "I'm sorry about hitting Jakes, but Maki had overshot and Gonzalez cut the hairpin so there was no way I could avoid it."

Gonzalez had held a group of four cars at bay in a strong showing in the opening laps. The scrap involved a spectacular, opposite locking, Dani Clos.

Clos managed to draw along Gonzalez's outside into turn one on lap 12, but Gonzalez's braking was compromised on the rarely-used, dark, tarmac on the inside. Locked up and struggling to regain control, Gonzalez missed the apex by a considerable margin, forcing both drivers straight on into the escape road.

The incident promoted Edoardo Mortara into fourth from Englishman Jon Lancaster, who belied his rookie status to cling on to the gearbox of the championship leader for the duration of the race's 48 laps, finishing one second adrift at the chequered flag.

Clos had recovered back up to sixth when he was forced to pit on lap 24, having receiving a black and orange flag, to have an unstable front wing on his Prema car attended to.

The incidents helped promote Christian Vietoris up the order from his 27th place starting position to sixth place at the finish.

The result went some way to recompensing Mucke Motorsport for the disappointment of championship challenger Maki's retirement. Mucke can also look forward to Czech Erik Janis' pole position for the reverse grid race on Sunday.

Pos Driver Team Car Time 1. Nico Hulkenberg ART D/M 39:41.600 2. Koudai Tsukakoshi Manor D/M +6.651 3. Jean-Karl Vernay Signature D/V +17.875 4. Edoardo Mortara Signature D/V +18.394 5. Jon Lancaster ART D/M +19.324 6. Christian Vietoris Mucke D/M +28.077 7. Robert Wickens Signature D/V +28.834 8. Erik Janis Mucke D/M +29.605 9. Henkie Waldschmidt SG D/M +32.769 10. Renger van der Zande Prema D/M +34.826 11. Stefano Coletti Prema D/M +43.554 12. Rodolfo Gonzalez Carlin D/M +44.366 13. Kazuya Oshima Manor D/M +46.387 14. Sam Bird Manor D/M +51.230 15. Jens Klingmann RC D/V +1 lap 16. Cheng Cong Fu RC D/V +1 lap 17. Daniel Campos-Hull HBR D/M +1 lap 18. Franck Mailleux Signature D/V +1 lap 19. Michael Klein Jo Zeller D/M +1 lap 20. Basil Shaaban HBR D/M +1 lap 21. Dani Clos Prema D/M +2 laps 22. Richard Philippe Carlin D/M +3 laps Retirements: Pos Driver Team Car Laps Martin Plowman RC D/V 40 laps Niall Breen Manor D/M 39 laps James Jakes ART D/M 39 laps Maxi Gotz RC D/V 1 lap Jules Bianchi ART D/M 0 laps Mika Maki Mucke D/M 0 laps Yann Clairay SG D/M 0 laps Fastest lap, Hulkenberg 48.902

Hulkenberg secures pole at Mugello

Maldonado: I could have gone quicker

Maki wins second Mugello race

Hulkenberg wins race one at Mugello

Senna, Grosjean rue tech failures

Hulkenburg takes Norisring pole

Nico Hulkenberg took pole position for Saturday's fourth round of the F3 Euro Series at the Norisring.

The German, who starred in his home race at the venue last year, was one of five drivers to break into a 48-second lap time in qualifying, and maintained the edge over his 28 rivals that he demonstrated by topping this morning's practice session.

Mika Maki, recently recovered from a road accident in Finland, put his name in the spotlight for the right reasons by stealing a front row start from Manor's Kodai Tsukakoshi in the dying seconds.

James Jakes did well to recover from a spin caused by his engine cutting out to qualify fourth, just ahead of his rookie team-mate Jules Bianchi.

Jean-Karl Vernay, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Dani Clos, and Jon Lancaster were all covered by just 0.025s from sixth to ninth places, with championship leader Edoardo Mortara the top Volkswagen runner in 10th place.

Christian Vietoris caused a red flag when he crashed on the exit of the S-Kurve and will start from 27th on the grid.

Pos Driver Car Time Gap 1. Nico Hulkenberg Dallara/Mercedes 48.696 2. Mika Maki Dallara/Mercedes 48.737 +0.041 3. Kodai Tsukakoshi Dallara/Mercedes 48.822 +0.126 4. James Jakes Dallara/Mercedes 48.946 +0.250 5. Jules Bianchi Dallara/Mercedes 48.978 +0.282 6. Jean-Karl Vernay Dallara/Volkswagen 49.023 +0.327 7. Rodolfo Gonzalez Dallara/Mercedes 49.040 +0.344 8. Daniel Clos Dallara/Mercedes 49.047 +0.351 9. Jon Lancaster Dallara/Mercedes 49.048 +0.352 10. Edoardo Mortara Dallara/Volkswagen 49.086 +0.390 11. Henkie Waldschmidt Dallara/Mercedes 49.121 +0.425 12. Richard Philippe Dallara/Mercedes 49.177 +0.481 13. Michael Klein Dallara/Mercedes 49.190 +0.494 14. Erik Janis Dallara/Mercedes 49.211 +0.515 15. Robert Wickens Dallara/Volkswagen 49.245 +0.549 16. Franck Mailleux Dallara/Volkswagen 49.251 +0.555 17. Cheng Cong Fu Dallara/Volkswagen 49.313 +0.617 18. Sam Bird Dallara/Mercedes 49.314 +0.618 19. Daniel Campos Dallara/Mercedes 49.324 +0.628 20. Martin Plowman Dallara/Volkswagen 49.379 +0.683 21. Jens Klingmann Dallara/Volkswagen 49.409 +0.713 22. Maxi Gotz Dallara/Volkswagen 49.438 +0.742 23. Renger van der Zande Dallara/Mercedes 49.444 +0.748 24. Yann Clairay Dallara/Mercedes 49.449 +0.753 25. Stefano Coletti Dallara/Mercedes 49.451 +0.755 26. Kazuya Oshima Dallara/Mercedes 49.523 +0.827 27. Christian Vietoris Dallara/Mercedes 49.557 +0.861 28. Basil Shaaban Dallara/Mercedes 49.671 +0.975 29. Niall Breen Dallara/Mercedes 49.698 +1.002

Mortara wins for VW at Pau

Maldonado: I could have gone quicker

Jakes wins chaotic race at Pau

Hulkenberg secures pole at Mugello

Conway takes first win at Monaco

Q and A with Edoardo Mortara

Formula 3 Euro Series championship leader Edoardo Mortara talks about his season so far, and leading what is probably the most competitive junior single seater championship in the world with Signature-Plus and the new Volkswagen F3 engine.

Q. Did you expect to be leading the F3 Euro Series championship after three race meetings?

Edoardo Mortara: "No, definitely not. Naturally, winning is always my aim, but with a brand new engine it would have been unrealistic to have expected to be leading the championship so soon in the year. I aimed to be in the top five at this stage, so to be actually in the lead is a fantastic surprise and an unexpected bonus."

Q. How have you been able to achieve this?

EM: "As always in motorsport, it's down to a number of factors coming together rather than just one single thing. First of all, Signature and Volkswagen have come up with an excellent package very early in the partnership, which I am extremely grateful for.

"Secondly, we have managed to find a balance between speed and consistency that is better than that of our rivals so far. Thirdly, my own approach is stronger this year: both mentally and physically. But it's very important not to get carried away. We are still extremely early in the championship and I am taking each day as it comes."

Q. How difficult will it be to sustain your championship lead?

EM: "There is an old saying in motorsport that it is comparatively easy to get to the front but much harder to stay there, and for sure that is very true. It will be extremely tough, as our rivals are getting stronger all the time and the pace is so hot that it's extremely easy to make just a small mistake that could cost several places on the grid and then compromise your entire weekend.

"Having said that, it's not impossible to lead from the front by any means, and having reached this position my target is to stay there."

Q. This is your second year of the F3 Euro Series. How does the level of competition compare to 2007?

EM: "It has definitely increased. As a rookie, there is less pressure anyway and your priority is to learn the car and the circuits rather than push all-out for results. In your second year, there is definitely more pressure as people quite correctly expect you to win.

"In motorsport you are learning all the time, but there is a definite shift in your priorities from learning to getting results. We are fortunate to have the backing of Volkswagen this year, competing against Mercedes, so when global manufacturers on this scale are involved, the stakes are extremely high. But it's also important to remember that this is only Volkswagen's first full season, so we have to manage our expectations accordingly."

Q. What are your long-term plans, and have they altered in the light of your success?

EM: "Not really. My long-term plan has always been to push myself as hard as possible and reach the maximum of my capabilities. Obviously I would love to be in Formula One if the time is right, but at the moment I am fully focussed on my short and medium term objectives, which are to do with success in this year's Euro Series.

"I won't start thinking about 2009 until much later in the year, there is more than enough to concentrate on in the present."

Q. As you are leading the championship, does this mean that you will not have to push quite as hard in future?

EM: "Yes and no. Obviously, part of the art of being a driver is to make the most out of any situation tactically and so I would be doing my job badly if I took any unnecessary risks to jeopardise my opportunities to continue leading.

"One of the most important lessons I have learned over the last couple of years is that you cannot win all the time. Sometimes it's necessary just to take the points that are on offer. Having said that, it is far too early in the championship to start playing a numbers game as anything can still happen.

"The truth is that the Euro Series is far too competitive to make it possible to back off or drive with anything less than full commitment. Even if you lift just a fraction, that always equates to several places on the grid and this can ruin your weekend. I'll still be pushing hard and aiming to win, it's what I feel naturally programmed to do anyway."

Mortara, Volkswagen savour first win

FMS, Super Nova in pitlane brawl

Coletti replaces Kimball at Prema

Stefano Coletti has replaced Charlie Kimball in Prema Powerteam's F3 Euro Series line-up.

Kimball, who finished second in the opening race of the year at Hockenheim, notified the Italian team of the loss of support from one of his principle investors, casting doubt over his ability to complete the year.

"Since I didn't have a 100% chance to end the season, I opted to slow down my programme to prevent any suffering on the team's side," said Kimball.

The American's difficulties have salvaged Coletti's season.

The 19-year-old Monegasque was dismissed from Red Bull Signature, in favour of Robert Wickens, following a disappointing opening four races to his Euro Series campaign. Coletti finished fourth in last year's Formula Renault Eurocup.

Prema team principal Angelo Rosin commented: "We're really sorry not to be able to keep Charlie Kimball, since he proved to have great skill and had reached positive results.

"I appreciate his prompt communication when the problem with one of his sponsors came up. Coletti is an extremely fast young driver who has great potential. He proved that by staying among the leading pack in the Italian and European Formula Renault championships in 2007."

Maki wins second Mugello race

Valles replaces Nocera at BCN

Hulkenberg secures pole at Mugello

Hulkenberg wins race one at Mugello

Gow criticises British F3 teams

British Touring Car Championship director Alan Gow has criticised the British Formula 3 teams after they abandoned a plan to switch to the BTCC package next season and instead signed a new deal with current promoter Stephane Ratel.

Gow claims that he made arrangements for British F3 to join his TOCA package at their request and is aggrieved that the teams have ignored a commitment he believes they made to him.

"I was approached by individual F3 team owners who wished to explore the possibility of F3 joining the TOCA package," said Gow. "We made arrangements for them to be able to run their series profitably, without any obligation but as a matter of assistance and good will.

"A new company was formed by the chairman of FOTA and a legally binding contract for three seasons was drawn up and signed by both parties.

"We're now advised that the teams don't want to proceed with what was agreed and are extremely surprised and disappointed to learn that they've chosen to neglect the undertakings they've made to TOCA."

Gow added that he does not intend to take any action against the teams but has ruled out any future co-operation with the British F3 championship, in his capacity as TOCA boss.

"For the good of F3, we will not pursue any action. But we have absolutely no interest, either now or in the future, to deal with such a group of team owners who are willing to ignore their commitments and have proven their total inability to properly organise themselves."

The teams, however, don't believe they entered into a firm agreement with TOCA and the difference of opinion stems from former FOTA chairman Alan Docking's withdrawal from the championship.

Docking was the driving force behind the initial idea to switch to the BTCC and led the discussions with Gow, but he relinquished his post as FOTA chairman when he didn't field his team this season.

The remaining teams were still open to the idea of a switch to the BTCC package but don't have the infrastructure in place to run the championship themselves. In the absence of a firm offer for someone else to organise the series on the TOCA bill, the teams decided the only realistic option was to remain with SRO.

British F3 would also have had to sacrifice its international rounds to run with the BTCC at a time when the teams are lobbying for an increase in European races.

Teams consider BTCC package move

ITV4 to broadcast GP2 this season

Ratel offers 2009 British F3 deal

Series confirms new deal with Ratel

The British Formula 3 championship will remain on the SRO-run British F3/GT package next season after confirming a new deal with promoter Stephane Ratel.

The teams' association had been considering a switch to the British Touring Car package in search of bigger crowds and more promotion, but with no realistic proposals on the table it instead decided to remain with SRO.

The decision means British F3 will continue to hold several races in Europe each year, with the possibility of a fourth date outside the UK being added.

The three foreign rounds this year are at SRO-run FIA GT meetings at Monza, Spa-Francorchamps, and Bucharest.

Ratel was pleased to reach an agreement with the F3 teams and is keen to take the championship to the best possible circuits.

"We're committed to developing the series and have agreed with the teams to look at circuits that will provide driver development," he said. "There is the possibility of more European races on F1 circuits."

British F3 teams' association vice chairman, T-Sport boss Russell Eacott added: "SRO came back with a strong presentation and they're willing to work on things that will hopefully improve that stature of the championship."

Ratel offers 2009 British F3 deal

Teams consider BTCC package move

ITV4 to broadcast GP2 this season

Perez eyeing title after first win

Devaney takes first Mygale victory

Michael Devaney took Mygale's maiden British Formula 3 victory in the first race at Snetterton today.

The Irishman led from start to finish to record the first non-Dallara win in four years, and also his first F3 win in Britain.

He had qualified on pole position in yesterday's wet qualifying session and had to work hard to defend his lead from Carlin's Jaime Alguersuari throughout the half hour race.

"The guys behind me had a better pace but I knew it would be difficult for them to pass me if I didn't make a mistake," Devaney told autosport.com. "I didn't really have to defend that hard because I could see that he couldn't get close enough to have a proper go."

Alguersuari had chased the leader down after passing both Nick Tandy and Brendon Hartley in one move at the Esses on the first lap. He then closed rapidly on Devaney but was unable to find a way past the Ultimate Motorsport car.

"In clear air I was easily quicker but as soon as I caught him there was too much understeer," said Alguersuari. "It's like Monaco here, if you start P1 you only have to be quite competitive to win. It would have been too much of a risk and and I didn't want to throw the second place away."

Hartley remained in close attendance in third, but didn't quite have the pace to join the scrap for the lead.

Oliver Turvey finished fourth, heading Fortec's Swedish pairing of Sebastian Hohenthal and Marcus Ericsson. Tandy slipped down to seventh from his front row start, but managed to keep Atte Mustonen, Walter Grubmuller and Sam Abay at bay.

Championship leader Sergio Perez was running sixth but dropped out of the race when dome debris invaded his radiator and broke the engine.

Jay Bridger was first of the National Class runners in 11th, three places ahead of class leader Andy Meyrick.

Pos Driver Team Car Gap 1. Michael Devaney Ultimate M/M 29:15.236 2. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M +0.664 3. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M +2.000 4. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M +4.914 5. Sebastian Hohenthal Fortec D/M +7.140 6. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M +7.399 7. Nick Tandy JTR M/M +21.284 8. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M +21.901 9. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M +22.534 10. Sam Abay Carlin D/M +23.010 11. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H +29.112 12. John Martin Double R D/M +31.248 13. Ali Jackson Ultimate M/M +40.067 14. Andy Meyrick Carlin (N) D/H +44.433 15. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H +47.923 16. Max Chilton Hitech D/M +48.258 17. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H +48.687 18. Salman Al-Khalifa T-Sport (N) D/H +55.272 19. Philip Major Fortec D/M +55.869 20. Viktor Jensen Nexa D/M +1:03.610 21. Kristjan Einar Carlin (N) D/H +1 lap Retirements: Driver Team Car Laps Callum MacLeod Litespeed (N) S/H 24 laps Henry Arundel Double R D/M 19 laps Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H 19 laps Jordan Williams Loctite D/H 16 laps Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H 9 laps Ricardo Teixeira Ultimate M/M 6 laps Fastest lap, Ericsson 1:01.893 (new record) on lap 14

Kobayashi inherits sprint race win

Maldonado seeks Monaco double

Devaney makes it a double win

Devaney makes it a double win

Michael Devaney capped a sensational weekend by adding victory in the second British Formula 3 race at Snetterton to his success earlier in the day.

He only started fourth on the grid this time, but made a stunning getaway to pass Sebastian Hohenthal round the outside at Riches for second place.

The win then fell into Devaney's lap when Brendon Hartley, who had opened a 1.5-second cushion in the first four laps, spun out at Riches on lap five.

Devaney controlled the race from there on and maintain a comfortable gap over second-placed Hohenthal.

"I knew from the first race that it would be hard for anyone to pass me but I think I had the pace over Seb anyway," said Devaney. "It can't get any better than this."

Jaime Alguersuari added a third place to his second earlier in the day and also set the fastest lap to take the championship lead by one point from Sergio Perez, who finished behind him in fourth.

Oliver Turvey finished fifth, again salvaging some decent points from poor grid positions, ahead of a four-car battle for sixth between Atte Mustonen, Max Chilton, Marcus Ericsson, and Walter Grubmuller.

Stefan Wilson took another National Class victory, running in the top 10 for the duration of the race.

Pos Driver Team Car Gap 1. Michael Devaney Ultimate M/M 29:22.758 2. Sebastian Hohenthal Fortec D/M +1.477 3. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M +3.052 4. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H +5.411 5. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M +7.509 6. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M +12.228 7. Max Chilton Hitech D/M +12.813 8. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M +14.161 9. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M +14.573 10. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H +21.743 11. John Martin Double R D/M +22.852 12. Ali Jackson Ultimate M/M +28.371 13. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H +29.132 14. Philip Major Fortec D/M +35.354 15. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H +39.158 16. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H +42.895 17. Kristjan Einar Carlin (N) D/H +49.491 18. Salman Al-Khalifa T-Sport (N) D/H +50.910 19. Ricardo Teixeira Ultimate M/M +52.228 20. Jordan Williams Loctite (N) D/H +1 lap 21. Sam Abay Carlin D/M +1 lap 22. Nick Tandy JTR M/M +6 laps Retirements: Driver Team Car Laps Andy Meyrick Carlin (N) D/H 20 laps Callum MacLeod Litespeed S/H 18 laps Viktor Jensen Nexa D/H 7 laps Henry Arundel Double R D/M 7 laps Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 4 laps Fastest lap, Alguersuari 1:02.153 on lap 17

Kobayashi inherits sprint race win

Alguersuari on pole for race two

Devaney takes first Mygale victory

Maldonado seeks Monaco double

Hartley takes Snetterton pole

Brendon Hartley clinched his second pole position of the British Formula 3 season in a drying qualifying session at Snetterton this afternoon.

The New Zealander held the top spot for much of the session and rebounded to secure pole in the last three minutes after Atte Mustonen demoted him with 10 minutes to go.

"I felt I had the pace to take pole in the first session but I just couldn't find a clear piece of track when the circuit was at its best," said Hartley.

"In the middle of the second session, when the rain eased off, I managed to get some space and put in two pole times in a row. I know we're fast here in the dry so I'm hopeful of some good results tomorrow."

The session was broken up by a red flag period when Nick Tandy hit the tyres at the Esses. He was lying third at the time, but was pushed down to ninth when the majority of the field improved their times on the drying track at the end of the half-hour session.

Sebastian Hohenthal continued his good run of form after winning last time out at Rockingham by qualifying on the front row here, just ahead of championship leader Sergio Perez.

Michael Devaney followed up his race one pole position with fourth on the grid for race two, ahead of Atte Mustonen and Carlin Motorsport team-mates Jaime Alguersuari and Oliver Turvey.

Marcus Ericsson, Tandy, and Sam Abay completed the top 10, with Stefan Wilson qualifying quickest of the National Class runners for the first time this year in 13th place.

Pos Driver Team Car Time Gap 1. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 1:11.587 2. Sebastian Hohenthal Fortec D/M 1:11.855 +0.268 3. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H 1:11.904 +0.317 4. Michael Devaney Ultimate M/M 1:11.951 +0.364 5. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M 1:12.128 +0.541 6. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 1:12.132 +0.545 7. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M 1:12.265 +0.678 8. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M 1:12.318 +0.731 9. Nick Tandy JTR M/M 1:12.347 +0.760 10. Sam Abay Carlin D/M 1:12.396 +0.809 11. Max Chilton Hitech D/M 1:12.567 +0.980 12. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M 1:12.581 +0.994 13. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H 1:12.719 +1.123 14. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H 1:12.929 +1.342 15. Henry Arundel Double R D/M 1:12.932 +1.345 16. Ricardo Teixeira Ultimate M/M 1:13.035 +1.448 17. Philip Major Fortec D/M 1:13.180 +1.593 18. Viktor Jensen Nexa D/H 1:13.193 +1.606 19. John Martin Double R D/M 1:13.225 +1.638 20. Salman Al-Khalifa T-Sport (N) D/H 1:13.355 +1.768 21. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H 1:13.447 +1.860 22. Alistair Jackson Double R M/M 1:13.487 +1.900 23. Jordan Williams Loctite (N) D/H 1:13.811 +2.224 24. Andy Meyrick Carlin (N) D/H 1:13.979 +2.392 25. Kristjan Einar Carlin (N) D/H 1:14.113 +2.526 26. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H 1:15.543 +3.956 27. Callum MacLeod Litespeed (N) S/H 1:23.921 +12.334 (D/M = Dallara Mercedes, D/H = Dallara Mugen-Honda, M/M = Mygale Mercedes, S/H = SLC Mugen-Honda)

Pantano grabs pole, Valsecchi shunts

Maldonado grabs pole in Barcelona

Hartley on pole for race two

Devaney gives Mygale maiden pole

Devaney takes first Mygale victory

Maldonado seeks Monaco double

Devaney gives Mygale maiden pole

Michael Devaney scored the maiden pole position for the Mygale chassis in the first British Formula 3 qualifying session at Snetterton this morning.

The Ultimate Motorsport driver jumped to the top of the times half way through another rain-soaked session, and his time proved good enough to clinch the first non-Dallara British F3 pole in four years.

Devaney put in his best lap just before the became heavier and it wasn't until the last two minutes of the session that any drivers were able to improve their times further.

Nick Tandy made it an all-Mygale front row, just 0.025 seconds slower than Devaney's time. The JTR driver twice went to the top of the times during the session but had to make do with second in the end.

"I'm really pleased," said Tandy, "we've improved so much in the wet. To be pipped to pole by such a small margin is a bit frustrating, but I can't complain about a front row start."

Jaime Alguersuari completed the top three, which was covered by just five hundredths of a second, ahead of his Carlin Motorsport team-mate Brendon Hartley in fourth.

Fortec Motorsport's Sebastian Hohenthal and Marcus Ericsson set the pace early on, but both slipped down the order in the second half of the session.

Hohenthal salvaged fifth with his penultimate lap, while Ericsson had to make do with eighth, behind championship leader Sergio Perez and Carlin's Oliver Turvey.

Jay Bridger led the National Class runners in ninth place, with Atte Mustonen completing the top 10.

Jordan Williams qualified 25th on his Formula 3 debut, replacing Niall Quinn in Team Loctite's National Class car, while reigning Formula Ford champion Callum MacLeod, also making his category debut, qualified 26th for new team Litespeed in the SLC chassis.

Pos Driver Team Car Time Gap 1. Michael Devaney Ultimate M/M 1:13.443 2. Nick Tandy JTR M/M 1:13.468 +0.025 3. Jaime Alguersuari Carlin D/M 1:13.500 +0.057 4. Brendon Hartley Carlin D/M 1:13.585 +0.142 5. Sebastian Hohenthal Fortec D/M 1:13.706 +0.263 6. Sergio Perez T-Sport D/H 1:13.754 +0.311 7. Oliver Turvey Carlin D/M 1:13.755 +0.312 8. Marcus Ericsson Fortec D/M 1:13.859 +0.416 9. Jay Bridger Fluid (N) D/H 1:14.117 +0.674 10. Atte Mustonen Double R D/M 1:14.173 +0.730 11. Sam Abay Carlin D/M 1:14.674 +1.231 12. Steven Guerrero T-Sport (N) D/H 1:14.679 +1.236 13. Philip Major Fortec D/M 1:14.734 +1.291 14. Henry Arundel Double R D/M 1:14.808 +1.365 15. John Martin Double R D/M 1:14.826 +1.383 16. Walter Grubmuller Hitech D/M 1:14.928 +1.485 17. Max Chilton Hitech D/M 1:14.946 +1.503 18. Stefan Wilson Fluid (N) D/H 1:15.044 +1.601 19. Viktor Jensen Nexa D/H 1:15.269 +1.826 20. Alistair Jackson Ultimate M/M 1:15.397 +1.954 21. Salman Al-Khalifa T-Sport (N) D/H 1:15.471 +2.028 22. Andy Meyrick Carlin (N) D/H 1:15.492 +2.049 23. Ricardo Teixeira Ultimate M/M 1:15.601 +2.158 24. Kristjan Einar Carlin (N) D/H 1:15.712 +2.269 25. Jordan Williams Loctite (N) D/H 1:16.331 +2.888 26. Callum MacLeod Litespeed (N) S/H 1:16.927 +3.484 27. Hywel Lloyd CF (N) D/H 1:18.276 +4.833 (M/M = Mygale Mercedes, D/M = Dallara Mercedes, D/H = Dallara Mugen-Honda, S/H = SLC Mugen-Honda)

Maldonado seeks Monaco double

Alguersuari on pole for race two

Devaney takes first Mygale victory

Maldonado: I could have gone quicker

Pantano grabs pole, Valsecchi shunts

Ericsson takes maiden pole at Croft

SLC chassis to debut at Snetterton

The SLC Formula 3 chassis will make its British championship debut at Snetterton this weekend with new team Litespeed and reigning British Formula Ford champion Callum MacLeod.

The car is an updated version of the SLC chassis that raced in the F3 Euro Series and the German F3 Championship in 2005 and 2006, and will be run to National Class spec by former Lotus engineers Steve Kenchington and Nino Judge, who set up the Litespeed team.

MacLeod, who was a McLaren Autosport BRDC Award finalist last year, had hoped to graduate to British F3 for the full season but was unable to secure a deal in time. He is believed to be driving the SLC as one-off outing to prove its potential.

The car will have its first official F3 outing in the test day at Snetterton tomorrow and team boss Judge has conservative expectations.

"We are just using this weekend as an evaluation to see where we're at," he said.

Ratel offers 2009 British F3 deal

ITV4 to broadcast GP2 this season

Mortara, Volkswagen savour first win

Edoardo Mortara has a commanding lead in the Formula 3 Euro Series after scoring the first victory for a Volkswagen-powered car since the German manufacturer returned to the category last year.

The Swiss-based Italian finished second on Saturday at Pau and followed it up with victory from seventh on the grid yesterday, in a race that began behind the safety car due to heavy rain.

Mortara charged through the field on the narrow street circuit and took the lead from polesitter Renger van der Zande on lap 14, and went on to score VW's first victory, in the seventh event for their new engine.

The result also gives him a 14-point lead in the championship over Mika Maki, who failed to score.

"To say that I'm surprised and happy is a big understatement," said Mortara. "It was just one of those dream weekends.

"First I would like to thank the Signature team and Volkswagen for all their incredibly hard work for this historic victory. The engine had very good driveability and I had a fantastic feeling with the car all weekend."

VW's motorsport director Kris Nissen, himself a former F3 race winner with the marque, added: "We have consistently showed how competitive our engine is and the first victory is a special exploit.

"This win did not come easily to Edoardo but the interaction between team, driver, chassis, and engine was perfect."

Despite the strong start to the season and his lead in the championship, Mortara doesn't want to think about the title yet.

"Leading with a 14-point advantage is a comfortable situation at the moment," he said. "But we've still got 14 races to go so nobody is taking anything for granted."

Senna proud of Monaco victory

Filippi rues pointless weekend

Senna name wins again at Monaco

Mortara wins for VW at Pau

Jakes wins chaotic race at Pau

Mercedes threaten to pull out of F3

Mortara wins for VW at Pau

Formula 3 Euro Series championship leader Edoardo Mortara claimed his first victory of the season at Pau this afternoon, the first win for VW in their 14th race since returning to the category.

Polesitter Renger van der Zande was unable to resist Mortara's charge through the field from seventh. The Dutchman had struggled for grip in qualifying, a problem which also afflicted his Prema team-mate Dani Clos, who started race one from 26th.

The pair survived Saturday's race of attrition to round out the podium in race two. Clos was fortunate to get away with hitting the tyres at turn one, Virage de la Gare, but continued to pick off Christian Vietoris for third at Lycee on the last lap.

Vietoris had produced a fine display in practice in the dry on Friday and was a dark horse for race two starting from fourth. The German nearly lost control under braking for Pont Oscar on the opening lap and had to settle for fourth.

Extremely wet conditions necessitated the safety car to be deployed for the first two laps. Van der Zande pulled away from fellow front row starter Michael Klein as the race turned green, with the enormous advantage of clear visibility.

Franck Mailleux came under intense pressure from team-mate Mortara in the battle for fifth, and the Italian found a way through at La Gare on lap seven. Mortara disposed of Vietoris at Lycee on the next tour and Clos at Pont Oscar on lap nine.

At the start of lap 10, Mortara had reeled in and passed second man Klein at La Gare and, lapping six tenths quicker than van der Zande, soon had the leader in his sights.

Mortara moved the VW-powered Signature car into the lead with another deft move at La Gare.

"I overtook six cars, it was an intense race weekend," said Mortara. "Today I had a great car, the team did an amazing job, but when it dried a little bit I was struggling. The tyres were finished. But I had grip at the beginning in the wet, and that's what made the difference."

Pos Driver Car Time 1. Edoardo Mortara Dallara/Volkswagen 40:24.353 2. Renger van der Zande Dallara/Mercedes +4.054 3. Daniel Clos Dallara/Mercedes +4.186 4. Christian Vietoris Dallara/Mercedes +4.743 5. Franck Mailleux Dallara/Volkswagen +14.248 6. James Jakes Dallara/Mercedes +16.206 7. Jon Lancaster Dallara/Mercedes +17.567 8. Robert Wickens Dallara/Volkswagen +18.334 9. Michael Klein Dallara/Mercedes +18.703 10. Kazuya Oshima Dallara/Mercedes +20.227 11. Sam Bird Dallara/Mercedes +20.807 12. Erik Janis Dallara/Mercedes +21.216 13. Yann Clairay Dallara/Mercedes +31.800 14. Jean-Karl Vernay Dallara/Volkswagen +32.925 15. Mika Maki Dallara/Mercedes +34.175 16. Nico Hulkenberg Dallara/Mercedes +35.569 17. Henkie Waldschmidt Dallara/Mercedes +52.781 18. Kodai Tsukakoshi Dallara/Mercedes +53.260 19. Daniel Campos Dallara/Mercedes +54.557 20. Jens Klingmann Dallara/Volkswagen +58.402 21. Rodolfo Gonzalez Dallara/Mercedes +59.554 22. Cheng Cong Fu Dallara/Volkswagen +1:09.510 23. Charlie Kimball Dallara/Mercedes +1:11.820 24. Basil Shaaban Dallara/Mercedes +1 lap 25. Tom Dillmann Dallara/Mercedes +3 laps 26. Jules Bianchi Dallara/Mercedes +3 laps 27. Martin Plowman Dallara/Volkswagen +6 laps Retirements: Driver Car Laps Niall Breen Dallara/Mercedes 14 laps Maximilian Gotz Dallara/Volkswagen 8 laps Richard Philippe Dallara/Mercedes 4 laps

Grosjean wins bizarre sprint race

Jakes wins chaotic race at Pau

Maki wins second Mugello race

Hulkenberg wins race one at Mugello