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In
just his third Formula 3 event, Australian rookie, Sam Abay consolidated his
reputation for being fast in the wet, leading the Carlin squad in a rain
affected qualifying session, to secure 3rd place on the grid for the first of
two races at the historic Monza circuit in Italy in this
weekend.
Racing
at Monza for the
first time, Abay made a scintillating start on a damp but drying track, pushing
his way through middle of front row starters Matteo Chinosi and Max Chilton, to
take the lead into the first chicane.
The
young Australian led the first 5 laps with team mate Jaime Alguersuari and
championship leader Sergio Perez close behind.
On lap 6 Alguersuari slipstreamed past Abay down the front straight, only
to have Perez pass both the Carlin drivers and take the lead. In the battle that followed, Abay regained
2nd position from Alguersuari, but then both Carlin drivers were relegated to
3rd and 4th as Esteban Guerrieri
found a way past both.
By
lap 10, with Abay now 4th, the classic Monza slipstreaming battle continued, Oliver
Turvey finding a way past his Australian team mate, only for Abay to counter
attack. With his passing attempt
unsuccessful, Abay found himself under pressure from Brendon Hartley and Marcus
Ericsson, before making a mistake in
lap 12 and missing the first chicane.
The Australian was forced to take to the escape road and rejoin the race
in 9th.
A
determined Abay would charge back up to 6th place where he would greet the
chequered flag in a thrilling race that saw the top 8 cars separated by 7.4
seconds at the line.
"It
was good to have led a race so early in the season. I’ve learned a great deal
about using the slip streams to my advantage from the race and I will take that
forward to Sunday’s race 2." said the youngster.
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