Podium sweep for Prema Theodore Racing in Race 2 & maiden victory for Robert Shwartzman in Race 3 securing Team Title with one round to go
PREMA Theodore Racing couldn’t have experienced a better weekend at Red Bull Ring. After ending up race 1 in first and second place, the team did it all again in race 2 and 3, adding a complete podium lockout in the morning. In addition, Mick Schumacher increased his lead at the top of the driver standings ahead of the season finale at Hockenheim.
In race 2, the German kept team-mate Marcus Armstrong at bay at the start to take his fifth consecutive win, while Robert Shwartzman scored P3. In race 3, the Russian lined-up on the front row and delivered a perfect getaway, going by Schumacher. Shwartzman led from start to finish for a well-deserved maiden win in the series.
To make the Austrian weekend even more special, PREMA Theodore Racing was able to celebrate the team’s eighth consecutive team championship with three races to go. A massive accomplishment considering that the current era of Formula 3 racing will come to its conclusion at the end of the season.
Ralf Aron brought home two more points finishes after yesterday’s struggles in P5 and P9, while Guanyu Zhou posted a 9th and an 11th place.
Guanyu Zhou, Car #1
“Another tough race. We have been struggling with pace in the last couple of round. We have to find what is wrong and hopefully fix it for the season finale. We tried different set-up solutions but we still have to find the right way.”
Mick Schumacher, Car #4
“We had a great weekend here at Red Bull Ring with two wins and a second place, and now we head into the final round of the year with a solid lead. In race 2 I had to start from the more damp side of the grid, but I still maintained first place. In race 3 however I didn’t have a perfect start and Robert got by. During the whole weekend we showed great pace again, having an amazing car all the days, and I am very happy for this great team to have secured the team’s championship.”
Ralf Aron, Car #7
“We have been struggling this weekend and it feels weird with the balance and grip of the car so we have to analyze the data and see how to get better. We will work as hard as we can to be back to our fullest in Hockenheim.”
Marcus Armstrong, Car #8
“Race 2 was pretty normal. I tried to move further up to the front, but it wasn’t particularly easy and Mick drove very well. When I made a slight mistake, I also damaged my left front tire, which made my race more difficult. Then in race 3, I brought home another points finish to complete a not-too-bad weekend.”
Robert Shwartzman, Car #10
“It’s an amazing feeling to take my first win. We worked so hard to get to the win and it wasn’t easy because Mick is really quick. I did a little better start than him this time and he played really fair, leaving me the right breathing room. We had great speed so I pulled away and it worked really well. The car felt amazing and the team did a great job, massive thanks to them.”
David Kennedy,
“It’s been another exceptional weekend by converting triple poles into a hat-trick of wins. Congratulations to Mick for claiming his 5th straight win this morning and to consolidate his lead in the drivers championship and also to Robert who took his first F3 win to close out the weekend.
All the hard work done by René and everyone in the team has paid dividends again as we have now taken the 2018 Team Championship.
We now head to Hockenheim for the finale round where we hope to capture the Drivers Championship. Mick currently leads from Daniel Ticktum by 49 points and Marcus Armstrong is closely behind with only 20 points between them, it’s going to be a thrilling end to the season.”
