Race Report – Round 3 – Aragón
Hitech TGR’s Fionn McLaughlin scored a superb victory in a thrilling race at MotorLand Aragón on Sunday, clawing back a 25-second deficit to take the race win, thanks to gambling on slick tyres on a drying track. It was Fionn’s second win of the weekend.
The third and final race at MotorLand Aragón was the most unpredictable of the Formula Winter Series so far, thanks to a rain shower that soaked the circuit as the field lined up on the grid. All four Hitech cars initially left the pits on wet tyres but switched to slicks on the grid. However, the arrival of the rain put that decision in jeopardy, as the race started in treacherous conditions for all drivers running on dry tyres.
While most of the field decided to pit for wet rubber, Fionn gambled on staying out on slicks. With the wet-shod leaders more than 20 seconds ahead, Fionn then lit up the timing screens as the track began to dry, quickly eating into the deficit — often lapping as much as eight seconds a lap faster than those out front. With the track now dry and slicks the optimum tyre, he reeled in the leaders, surged into the lead, and secured his second victory of the day.
Speaking afterwards, Fionn was delighted to triumph in challenging conditions, mastering a race where mistakes were easy to make: “It was a really tough race. It was dry on the reconnaissance lap, so we decided to put the slicks on. Then it rained, but out on track, I trusted the weather, and it came good as it dried up,” said the Red Bull Junior Team driver. “I told myself I had to do the best I can in this position. I always try to do my best, and this has been a perfect day for myself and the Hitech team.”
Earlier in the day, Fionn climbed from fourth on the grid and battled his way past the three cars ahead of him to score his second overall win in the Formula Winter Series, masterfully passing his rivals deep on the brakes into the Turn 16 hairpin at the end of the back straight. With a third-place overall on Saturday, it marked a clean sweep of podiums and three P1s in the Rookie Class for the Irish racer.
All four Hitech machines finished in the top ten in Race 2 on Sunday morning, with Leo Robinson taking his best result of the weekend in P6 (he was squeezed at the first corner in Race 1 and failed to finish after damaging his front wing). Britain’s Thomas Bearman, who qualified on the front row for Race 3, finished eighth overall in Sunday morning’s race — his second runners-up place in the Rookie Class, while Nina Gademan was tenth. She also picked up two wins in the Female Trophy at Aragón in her final outing for the Hitech team in the Formula Winter Series. The concluding round takes place in Barcelona next weekend.
