Robert Shwartzman caps 2018 season with race 3 win ahead of team-mate Mick Schumacher
The 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship ended in perfect fashion for PREMA Theodore Racing today at Hockenheim. After celebrating an early driver title with Mick Schumacher at the end of race 2 yesterday, the team capped the series in style by delivering a spectacular race 3 win with Robert Shwartzman. The Russian, part of the Ferrari Driver Academy program and supported by SMP Racing, led from pole to finish and was pretty much unchallenged, confirming a late-season form that also handed him the rookie title and third place overall in points.
Schumacher provided the team with another brilliant 1-2 finish at a home racetrack for him. The quick German made the most out of his chances and increased his margin atop the series table. Not too far away, Estonian Ralf Aron grabbed a valuable fourth position at the line but was eventually penalised for a contact, dropping back to 15th place.
More points came from race 1 winner Guanyu Zhou, who gained positions and climbed up to P5 at the end. On the other hand, Marcus Armstrong had an equally tough race 3 compared to yesterday’s two heats. The rookie racer faced his third DNF of the weekend after picking up damage early.
After an extremely successful season for the Team, PREMA Theodore Racing is now setting its sights on November’s Macau Grand Prix.
Guanyu Zhou, Car #1
“Today I managed to gain positions from where I started and secure a top-5 finish. I just enjoyed this race, made some good moves and completed the season well. Now let’s hope for something good in 2019…”
Mick Schumacher, Car #4
“I had a good start and tried to stay out of any issues in the first corner and basically in the rest of the race. I really want to thank Prema again for pushing together with me to achieve that goal. A dream came true, and I am very grateful for that. I was just trying to have fun and enjoy that last race.”
Ralf Aron, Car #7
“I had a good start and a good turn 2. We were fighting up to turn 6. The guy in front of me stopped earlier, probably trying to get a good exit. I touched Juri and the driver behind me drove over my rear wheel. It was a bit of a mess there but otherwise, I had a really good pace. I tried to attack Palou many times but unfortunately, I couldn’t find my way past. Anyway, the pace was there and the car was good.”
Marcus Armstrong, Car #8
“It was just not our race. I don’t remember having such a bad weekend since karting. I had a mega start and gained positions up to turn 6. I was on the inside because I thought that everyone would crash which they did, but then someone touched me, punctured my tire and broke my suspension. That was it.”
Robert Shwartzman, Car #10
“It’s amazing to end the season with a win. There was a low chance of fighting back to the top-3 in the championship but it happened. I want to thank everybody involved and the team for making it possible. I was very relaxed and everything went for the best. I had my freshest set of tires for this race and the pace was quite comfortable. Towards the end, I tried to take it easier so to have better tires in case something happened like a re-start. In the end, as I had a big gap, I just enjoyed the ride.”
