For its inaugural edition, the Madring circuit welcomed Formula 3 with a unique format to bring the championship to a close. Following the cancellation of the Bahrain round, an additional qualifying session and feature race were added to Saturday’s schedule. In total, three races took place on this new and highly demanding circuit, leaving no room for error.
Qualifying 1
After a strong Free Practice session, where he finished second and continued to build momentum, Taito secured his first pole position in Formula 3. He is one of just three rookies to have achieved the feat in qualifying. Maciej (19th) and Kanato (20th) could not match the same momentum and failed to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
Qualifying 2
Taito was once again a contender for pole position throughout the session but he wasn’t able to put everything together to repeat that performance in Q2. He still rose to the challenge, securing fourth place on the grid for Sunday’s race. Kanato (22nd) and Maciej (23rd) gave it their all in a complex session that left no room for the slightest setback.
Sprint Race
As the team’s simulations had predicted, it was extremely difficult to launch an attack through the 22 corners of the Madring, while the 550-metre banking section, La Monumental, never proved to be a launchpad for overtaking. After cleverly making use of the slipstream at the start on the reverse grid, Taito brilliantly pulled off one of the few overtakes on track, gaining three positions in total to score points with ninth place. Maciej (19th) and Kanato (25th) were stuck at the back of the grid as it was really difficult to overtake in this track, at least if you were less than two tenths behind the driver ahead at Turn 5.
Feature Race 1
Overtaken at the start by Clerot, who was alongside him on the front row, Taito lost the benefit of pole position. Further back, Maciej was violently hit in a multi-car incident, fortunately without any consequences for the Polish driver’s health. After a 30-minute stoppage, the race resumed behind the Safety Car. Taito kept Clerot under pressure all the way to the checkered flag to finish second, his second podium in a row in Feature Race. Taking advantage of the numerous retirements and his strong pace, Kanato climbed through the field to finish 13th.
Feature Race 2
With the pit buildings casting a shadow over the grid, the even side was, for once, not favoured when the lights went out. Taito nevertheless cleverly defended fourth place and held on to it all the way to the finish. Kanato and Maciej had no choice but to endure the DRS train at the back of the field, finishing 19th and 22nd respectively.
Taito KATO
« A strong performance to finish the weekend at Madring, with my first-ever pole position in F3, P2 in Feature Race and P4 in the Drivers’ Championship in my rookie season ! Very proud of what we achieved together with the team. I’ve made big steps in qualifying, racecraft and tyre management, and I’m proud of how much we’ve grown together as a team. Thank you to everyone for all the hard work ! »
Sébastien PHILIPPE
“The Madring is a physical and mental challenge because the sessions follow one another and you cannot afford to make a mistake, as the consequences can be very costly. Taito managed to find the right momentum and never left the leading positions. He scored almost 60% of his points in the last two meetings. ART Grand Prix finishes the season fourth in the championship with solid foundations on which to build for the future.”
