Raffaele Marciello wins Pau race one 12.05.2012: Temperature track: 22.1 °C Temperature air: 18.1 °C With a lights-to-flag win at the 2.76 kilometres long street circuit

Temperature track: 22.1 °C

Temperature air: 18.1 °C




With a lights-to-flag win at the 2.76 kilometres long street circuit of Pau in the south of France, Raffaele Marciello (Prema Powerteam) celebrated his maiden race win in a round of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship.


The Italian, who is also registered for the Formula 3 Euro Series, finished ahead of Jazeman Jaafar (Carlin), Alex Lynn (Fortec Motorsport) and the second-best Euro Series driver Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport) from Sweden, who occupied second to fourth place. Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Carlin) was the third-best representative of the Formula 3 Euro Series in sixth place.


17-year old Raffaele Marciello, who is backed by the Ferrari Formula 1 team, already took the lead at the start and also successfully defended his leading position during the re-start after a safety-car intervention from the charges by stalwart Jazeman Jaafar. After that, the Prema driver gradually extended his lead to a margin of 6.734 seconds at the finish line.


Initially, Macau winner Daniel Juncadella (Prema Powerteam) and rookie driver Pascal Wehrlein (Mücke Motorsport) were racing behind Marciello at the track at the foot of the Pyrenees, until the two collided on lap nine and retired. This collision caused the only safety-car intervention in the Formula 3 race, the rest of which was rather quiet.


Raffaele Marciello (Prema Powerteam): “Having won a race in Pau is great. My car was perfect and I was able to pull a gap. Once my margin was big enough, I drove a bit more cautiously. I didn’t want to risk an accident or make a mistake. In the final laps, I just concentrated on brining victory home safely.”


Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport): “My start was good, but during the race, I didn’t find a way past Alex Lynn. I waited for him to make a mistake, but he didn’t make any and deserved his third place.”


Carlos Sainz (Carlin): “Initially, things were running well for me, but my rear tyres started to wear off badly in the second half of the race and I had a lot of oversteer. At ’Foch’, I had a couple of big moments. After that, I decided to bring it home and don’t take any risks.”
 

-- ITR - also photo