Spanish driver Mari Boya secured his first-ever victory at the Barcelona Formula 3 Sprint Race, which took place in his home country. The race, consisting of 21 laps, ended under a safety car due to the chaotic nature of the event.
Initially, Santiago Ramos was leading the pack until he collided with his teammate Sami Meguetounif, allowing Boya to take the lead. Boya managed to hold off Alex Dunne, who was eager to secure second place. This win made Boya the ninth different winner in the nine races of the 2024 season.
Ramos, who had clinched his second reverse-grid pole position, started the race strongly, quickly maneuvering his Trident around the first corner. Meguetounif maintained his second-place position, with Boya close behind in third.
During the opening lap, Goethe managed to gain three positions, while Sebastian Montoya impressively recovered from a qualifying penalty, climbing from 26th to 12th place.
On the second lap, a thrilling four-way battle occurred at Turn 1, where Christian Mansell executed a remarkable move, overtaking three drivers to secure 13th place.
Unfortunately, contact between the leading Trident drivers resulted in a Safety Car being deployed on Lap 3. Meguetounif clipped the Mexican driver while attempting to overtake from the inside of Turn 1. As a result, both Trident drivers had to give up their positions to Boya, while Ramos had to make a pit stop to fix the damage.
Nikita Bedrin from PHM Racing also had to retire from the race after colliding with Callum Voisin from Rodin during the yellow flag period.
Ramos rejoined the race in last place, while Meguetounif had to retire early.
Boya led the pack during the safety car restart, showcasing his skills by swiftly navigating the final corner on Lap 8 and taking a commanding lead ahead of Dunne from MP Motorsport.
A battle ensued between Arvid Lindblad and Leonardo Fornaroli from Trident for seventh place, with the two drivers swapping positions at Turn 3.
On Lap 9, Boya set the fastest lap time, but Dunne remained within the DRS (Drag Reduction System) zone, facing pressure from Goethe who was closing in.
Martinius Stenshorne executed an impressive maneuver around Laurens Van Hoepen on Lap 10, leaving the ART Grand Prix driver vulnerable to Noel Leon at Turn 5.
Montoya continued his outstanding recovery drive, climbing 14 places by Lap 12, and finding himself in 13th place just behind Mansell.
The group started to close in on the race leaders during Lap 13, creating a large train of cars utilizing the DRS system, resulting in a tightly packed grid.
Browning skillfully maneuvered his Hitech Pule Eight car around the outside of Mansell at Turn 12, but unfortunately lost control on Lap 14 while approaching Turn 3.
The current Championship leader, Gabriele Mini, found himself in 11th place, fending off the determined Montoya on Lap 15.
Dunne nearly caught up to Boya as they exited Turn 1 on Lap 16, but the local hero managed to find a narrow gap and pull ahead of the MP Motorsport driver.
With only five laps remaining, Goethe fell out of the DRS range of second-place Dunne, as he faced pressure from the creeping Stenshorne behind him.
A slight contact between Montoya and Mini as they exited Turn 4 on Lap 18 resulted in Mini sliding off the track, dragging both cars into the gravel.
The Championship leader was forced to retire from the race, while Montoya’s impressive recovery drive, which almost secured him points, was in vain.
A safety car was deployed on Lap 19, bringing the field back together and making Boya vulnerable to Dunne, who was eagerly seeking a victory.
Stenshorne climbed to third place, finishing ahead of Van Hoepen in fourth, who pushed Leon down to fifth place.
Race-winner Fornaroli crossed the finish line in seventh place, ahead of Championship contender Beganovic, who overtook Lindblad to claim ninth place.
Tim Tramnitz secured the tenth position, with Mansell and Browning earning their way into the points.