The Formula 3 feature race rudely awakened the principality of Monaco with it’s 8:00 start, and unlike yesterday the track didn’t fell immediately silent. The start went a lot better than the one from the sprint race. Of course there were a few people cutting St. Devote, and some wheelbanging in occurred in the Hotel Hairpin, but nothing serious happened until Portier.
It was Charlie Wurz who was punted by Piotr Wiśnicki, which resulted in the first safety car of the day. It also results in a 10-second time penalty for Wiśnicki.
After one lap the safety car goes back in and Gabriele Minì stays ahead. Callum Voisin tags Tommy Smith into the hairpin, but there is no serious damage to either car. Christian Mansell stays right on Minì’s rear wing, as Nikita Bedrin overtakes Kacper Sztuka in the hairpin. He hits Nikola Tsolov, which results in a puncture and a broken front wing, and the AIX-driver is forced to make a pitstop.
Dino Beganovic has to defend from Mari Boya, which gives Joseph Loake the opportunity to pass the Spaniard in Rascasse.
Up front Minì manages to create a gap to Mansell and relieve some of the pressure. The same cannot be said for Boya who is leading a long train of cars from eighth place onwards. Laurens van Hoepen overtakes Noel León in Mirabeau, but the MP Motorsports-driver immediately returns the favour in the hairpin.
In the meantime Loake is being caught up by Boya and is being tricked into an error in the Nouvelle Chicane, resulting in him cuting the corner, but the Campos-driver is unable to complete the pass.
Martinius Stenshorne gets a 10-second penalty for overtaking off-track during the opening proceedings, effectively eliminating him from the race.
Loake gets passed by Boya on start/finish after the latter gets a great run on the Briton. Van Hoepen manages to pass Leon again in Mirabeau, and keeps position this time. Loake now leads the train from eighth until 17th, with Rodin-teammate Wiśnicki leading a second train from 18th onwards.
Tsolov tries to overtake into Anthony Noghés, but unlike his Alpine Academy-colleague Sopia Flörsch he manages to keep his nose in one piece.
In lap 20 there is suddenly chaos in Mirabeau: Tsolov, León and Samin Meguetounif are all in the wall. Tsolov tried to overtake León, but only manages to put the Mexican into the wall. Meguetounif couldn’t avoid the situation and also ends up in the wall, prompting another safety car. And while Tsolov and León can continue the Trident-driver is out of the race.
The working speed of the Monaco marshalls is once again amazingly quick, resulting in a 5 lap dash to the finish, but not before Tsolov is swiftly handed a 10-second time penalty for his antics.
At the restart Tim Tramnitz passes Loake into Lower Mirabeau, and van Hoepen tries to do the same immediately into the chicane. Van Hoepen however cuts the chicane, wants to return the position into Tabac, but the Dutchman loses control and clobbers the wall, resulting in yet another safety car.
The field goes back to green again at the beginning of the final lap. Alex Dunne overtakes Max Esterson into Lower Mirabeau, but other than that nothing significant happens anymore.
This means Minì wins, for Mansell and Luke Browning. Arvid Lindblad comes home fourth, Leonardo Fornaroli fifth and Beganovic sixth, for Boya and Tramnitz. Loake gets a hard fought ninth place, with Oliver Goethe rounding up the top 10.
