Nurburgring F3: Rosenqvist eases to victory as rivals collide

Rosenqvist had a good getaway off the line, arriving at Turn 1 unchallenged ahead of fellow front row starter and Prema teammate Nick Cassidy.

Behind the duo, Charles Leclerc made small contact with the fast-starting Jake Dennis, which sent the latter into Antonio Giovinazzi and caused the Italian to run wide and drop to 11th.

Moreover, Dennis suffered damage and was forced to pit for a new front wing, only to retire a couple of laps later.

That allowed Callum Ilott to maintain his grid position of third, and the Red Bull junior managed to keep up with the Prema duo of Rosenqvist and Cassidy as the trio quickly pulled away from Leclerc.

The Monegasque, having potentially damaged his car at the start, was a second off the leader’s pace on average and had to fend off a train of six cars led by Mikkel Jensen.

But at the front, there was no further drama, with Rosenqvist taking the victory ahead of Cassidy and Ilott as both drivers celebrated their first podium finishes in the series.

Although Jensen made an unsuccessful overtaking attempt early in the race, he was unable to get close enough for another go, allowing Leclerc to secure fourth.

The Mucke driver finished fifth, marking the German team’s return to the top five for the first time since June, followed by Markus Pommer, Santino Ferrucci and Arjun Maini.

Ferrari junior Lance Stroll gained three positions to end up ninth, with Masters of F3 winner Giovinazzi taking the final point-scoring position following a move on Sergio Sette Camara.

George Russell, who lost his second grid position after a 10-place penalty for an engine change, finished 13th behind Alex Albon.

Following his 10th victory of the season, Rosenqvist extended his championship lead to 58.5 points - the Swede has to gain a further 16.5 points on Giovinazzi in order to leave the Nurburgring with the title.

Race results: