Vidales and Campos win at home in FIA F3 Sprint Race

David Vidales won the FIA Formula 3 Championship Sprint Race from pole in at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, to give himself and Campos Racing a home win, and his first in the category.

He started from pole after Zane Maloney was penalised for missing the weighbridge in Qualifying, ahead of Juan Manuel Correa and Jak Crawford.

The Spanish driver moved straight across to the right to cover Correa into Turn 1, with the 30-car field making it through the first sector cleanly.

Alexander Smolyar battled away with Oliver Bearman through Sector 3, eventually getting the better of the Prema Racing man in time to lead into the final chicane.

Vidales was beginning to build a slight gap at the front, while Hunter Yeany began to slip back down the order and pitted for a new front wing.

Maloney, who started from the pits, immediately showed strong pace to gain several positions once he caught up to the pack.

Correa fell out of Vidales’ DRS window within a couple of laps, making him vulnerable to attack from Jak Crawford.

His Red Bull-backed compatriot took advantage to go down the inside into Turn 1, while Maloney made the same move on Francesco Pizzi for P25.

Arthur Leclerc got past Bearman and began to pull away into the gap behind Smolyar on Lap 6.

Championship leader Victor Martins qualified second for the Feature Race, but lost power exiting Turn 2 on Lap 7 and had to retire from the race.

Feature Race polesitter Roman Stanek got past Bearman for eighth, then benefitted from Franco Colapinto losing his engine cover to move up to seventh.

Crawford got himself into DRS range of Vidales after clearing Correa, and started to apply the pressure on Lap 11.

The Prema Racing driver tried to go around the outside at Turn 1 on Lap 12, but that gap will always close when the track banks left for Turn 2.

He ran across the runoff, as Pizzi did earlier in the race, and slammed into the sausage kerb but was able to continue.

Arthur Leclerc managed to get past Kaylen Frederick down the inside into Turn 1 on Lap 17, while Caio Collet got himself into the podium places at Correa’s expense a lap later.

Smolyar tried to get past Correa, but had to run over the sausage kerb bizarrely placed over the runoff area.

Vidales came through to win, ahead of Crawford and Collet.

Arthur Leclerc and Correa rounded out the top five, ahead of Smolyar, Frederick, Stanek, Reece Ushijima and Isack Hadjar.

FIA Formula 3 Championship Sprint Race Results – Barcelona: