Hitech TGR clinched their second outright win in the Formula Winter Series as Leo Robinson took the honours in Valencia. He completed a clean sweep of podium finishes at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, capping off the weekend in style with a commanding lights-to-flag victory in Race 3.
Hitech’s Leo Robinson remains in contention for the Formula Winter Series title after securing a win and two second-place finishes in Valencia last weekend. After an excellent getaway from second on the grid, the Anglo-Algerian racer took the lead heading into Turn 1 and controlled all 19 laps of Race 3 to claim his first victory – and Hitech’s second – in this year’s Formula Winter Series.
Despite two late Safety Car interventions, Leo held firm on each restart to clinch his first win. The triumph was especially sweet, as he had narrowly missed out on victory earlier in the day. In an almost identical scenario in Race 2, he again made a strong start to take the lead, only for another Safety Car deployment to derail his chances. However, he made amends in the final race, and speaking in Parc Fermé afterwards, the 15-year-old was delighted to finally reach the top step.
It’s been five second places in the last six races, so I’m absolutely over the moon to get this result,” said the Hitech driver. “I’ve learned from my mistakes and it’s a perfect way to end the weekend. A big thank you to the entire Hitech team for engineering such a great car. I’m looking forward to maintaining this level of performance next time out.
Red Bull Junior Team driver Fionn McLaughlin maintained his good form in Spain with three top-eight finishes – and three second places in the Rookie Class. He was engaged in some spirited battles in Valencia, but unfortunately Fionn was denied a top three result in Race 2 after he was adjudged to have made a jump start and was penalised with a five-second time penalty.
In the final race of the weekend, Nina Gademan made a superb two-car pass around the outside of the last corner to grab 14th at the flag – rising nine places from her starting position. She also claimed two wins and a second place in the Female Trophy. The team finished the weekend with even more silverware as Thomas Bearman took third place in the Rookie Class in Race 2, climbing from 23rd on the grid to 16th at the flag, a testament to the Hitech crew’s hard work over the course of the weekend.
The next round of the Formula Winter Series takes place in a fortnight at the MotorLand Aragón venue near Alcañiz in north east Spain on 1-2 March.
