- Daventry team seal first British F3 win of the season at Donington Park.
- Grundtvig celebrates maiden triumph, Faria back on the podium.
- Team prepares to head overseas to Spa on 23-25 July.
Fortec Motorsport celebrated a first victory of the 2021 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship season after Mikkel Grundtvig scored a maiden win at Donington Park, Leicestershire last weekend (10-11 July).
The Daventry-based team made the trip to the 2.4-mile GP circuit in optimistic mood after scoring a brace of podium finishes at each of the first two events.
Brazilian rising star Roberto Faria showcased his speed during pre-event testing, with Grundtvig also continuing to progress despite less mileage in the car than the competition.
Qualifying and the opening race proved to be tricky affairs for the duo, with Faria fighting back from a false start to lead Grundtvig in 14th and 17th respectively at the chequered flag.
Roberto enjoyed a stronger showing on Sunday morning, charging through to finish third and claim his third podium finish of the season, with Grundtvig also progressing through to P14.
That gave the Dane third on the grid for the reverse grid finale later that afternoon, and he duly made up a position off the start before applying the pressure to race leader Marzorati.
His opportunity came after an early safety car stoppage, the pair running side-by-side through Redgate and down the Craner Curves before Grundtvig annexed the race lead into the Old Hairpin.
From there, he would not be denied a first trip, not just to the podium, but the top step, the eventual winning margin 1.9 seconds. An off-track moment on the run up to Coppice dropped Faria back, but the Brazilian made it a hat-trick of points finishes nonetheless in P13.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium hosts the next event on 23-25 July.
Oliver Dutton, Team Manager said:
“Everyone is delighted for Mikkel, he’s put in so much hard work, effort and commitment since making a last-minute move into British F3 at the start of the season. It really can’t be underestimated how competitive this grid is, so to adapt this quickly and be competitive is a really positive step.
“Another podium for Roberto also keeps him in the hunt, but things definitely didn’t go his way, on the whole, this weekend. That’s how it goes sometimes, but he can be rightly pleased with how he’s performed and he’ll take that experience forward.
“Next up for us is a trip out to Spa. It’ll be good to be back after COVID cancelled this event last season. A big thanks to the team for all their hard work this weekend.”
Roberto Faria (#7) said:
“I’m pleased to get another podium finish this weekend, but I think the potential was there for even better results.
“A big congratulations to Mikkel on his first victory, and to the team for a good haul of points. I’ll be pushing to make sure it’s me celebrating on the top step next time out at Spa.”
Mikkel Grundtvig (#43) said:
“I’m delighted to take my first victory in British F3. It was a hard race, with some good battles, and it’s really satisfying to see our hard work is starting to pay off.
“A big thanks to the team for all their support, the car was fantastic, and we were really able to attack, which was key.
“Now I’m just looking forward to getting back in the car and progressing further at Spa in two weeks’ time.”
