Qualifying
Macej and Taito made promising debuts by managing traffic and tire performance to secure 4th and 7th places respectively. Kanato was unable to match his teammates and had to settle for 27th on the grid.
Sprint Race
Macej and Taito ran together in the leading pack from the first to the final lap, but unfortunately, the race had to be stopped halfway due to a red flag! The race did not resume. With points being halved, Taito will score just one point for finishing 5th, Maciej finishing 6th.
Starting from the back of the grid, Kanato knew the race would be difficult, and the fact that it was shortened to seven laps following an accident worked against him.
Feature Race
Taito raised his level again by gaining four places to secure his first podium at the end of his first FIA Formula 3 weekend.
Macej was also in contention for a podium, but his pace was disrupted during a battle that pushed him down the order. Nevertheless, he still scored valuable points with a final 5th place.
Kanato was unable to defend his chances after retiring on lap 2.
TAITO KATO
“Arriving in Melbourne, my goal was to score my first points, but we did even better with two top-5 finishes and a podium. Qualifying was intense, with heavy traffic in the final minutes, but the team managed our timing and track position perfectly and I was able to put together a very clean lap. In the race, it was important to manage the tires while still pushing hard, and that’s something I feel comfortable with, so I was able to get the best out of the car’s potential without driving on the limit. We’ll need to be a bit stronger in qualifying and to be consistent day in day out to reach our objectives.”
Sébastien Philippe
“Winter testing went well with extensive work in Barcelona and on the team’s simulator. We believed we were well prepared, but nothing replaces the verdict of the track, especially in Melbourne which hasn’t always been kind to us. Securing our first podium is very encouraging as it validates the work done over the past few months. Taito and Macej showed great composure and strong pace on their F3 debuts, and it’s always positive to start on the right foot in such a competitive championship.”
