Campos Racing extended its points streak this weekend at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which hosted the second round of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship season.
David Vidales performed brilliantly in both races, putting in two remarkable recovery runs (with a whopping 36 places over the curse of the weekend!) from the back of the starting grid while another rival ruined his best lap in qualifying.
Campos Racing wants to continue points series in Imola
Despite his compatriot Pepe Martí and Hunter Yeany failing to take the points, both Campos Racing drivers were the eye-catchers during the opening laps of Sunday’s race.
Imola saw a rainy Friday, especially in the morning during free practice. Vidales put in a 1m52.541s lap in such tough conditions, with Yeany and Martí also scoring very competitive lap times on their first outing at Imola. Yeany clocked a lap time of 1m52.766s and Martí set a best time of 1m53.208s. Later in qualifying it was almost impossible to get a clean lap due to the traffic and the yellow flags. As a result, American Yeany was Campos Racing’s fastest driver in 16th place with a lap time of 1m43.130s. Martí started from 24th with a lap time of 1m44.273s and Vidales was further back with a lap time of 1m44.471s.
In Race 1, Vidales quickly showed fantastic race trim and gradually moved through the field in his Campos Racing entered Dallara F3 car. Despite two safety cars and another virtual safety car, Vidales’ progress was not hindered. With quite a few overtaking maneuvers he passed William Alatalo or Gregoire Saucy, among others. Vidales fought back and finished in 11th place, a sort of bittersweet result as he nearly took the points. Yeany took the checkered flag in 17th place and Martí was stranded in the gravel after hitting some debris on lap nine.
Sunday’s Race 2 was no easier mission. With a damp track, there were several tire options. Vidales chose to start on slicks and Yeany and Martí, on the other hand, chose to start on wet tyres. Yeany and Martí were in a league of their own in the opening laps. After just one lap, Martí had moved up to eleventh place and four laps later he was in fourth place. It wasn’t long before he passed Roman Stanek, Oliver Bearman and Zane Maloney and took the lead. Behind that was the American Yeany in third place. Meanwhile, Vidales mastered those conditions on slicks. When track conditions improved significantly, both Martí and Yeany went to the pits for slicks and dropped the order. It was Vidales’ turn who overtook countless cars at breakneck speed to finish in 8th place. Martí finished in 15th place ahead of Yeany.
The third round of the FIA Formula 3 will take place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 21-22 May.