Hughes takes second win of the season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for HWA RACELAB
Jake Hughes (Great Britain) produced another impressive display on Sunday in Monza, Italy, to claim his second win of the season for HWA RACELAB. Team-mate Enzo Fittipaldi (Brazil) was also in contention, before being struck by misfortune. However, he once again demonstrated his potential with a stunning fightback on Saturday.
- 5th and 1st place for Jake Hughes, 9th and 20th for Enzo Fittipaldi, 17th and 22nd for Jack Doohan
- Jake Hughes: "The car felt excellent from lap one."
- Enzo Fittipaldi: "I think I could have won, if I had not had the puncture."
- Jack Doohan: "I hope to have another good weekend in Mugello."
- Thomas Strick: "We are now where we wanted to be."
Monza, 6th September 2020 – HWA RACELAB was well-positioned going into Sunday's race at the high-speed Italian circuit, courtesy of second place on the grid for Enzo Fittipaldi (Brazil) and sixth for Jake Hughes (Great Britain). Jake started strongly and fought his way into fourth place in turn one. Shortly after that, he produced an overtaking manoeuvre on the long straight to take third place. He then dropped back to fourth place on lap five, when he was passed on the outside. However, this was to be the last time that Jake was overtaken on Sunday. From that point on, he showed impressive pace to apply pressure to those ahead of him. Jake initially benefitted from a collision involving the two race leaders, and then spotted his chance on lap ten whilst running second. He took the lead with a perfectly timed manoeuvre, before a virtually safety car phase brought a temporary halt to the racing. When the race resumed on lap 13, Jake pulled clear at the front of the field. He soon opened up a comfortable advantage over the chasing pack - at times, his lead stood at over two seconds. Jake was simply not going to be denied, and eventually took his second win of the season with a lead of 1.8 seconds.
Starting from second place on the grid, Enzo overtook the pole-sitter, but was unable to prevent Lirim Zendeli (Trident) from slipping through at the same time. As such, Enzo initially settled into second place, but immediately set about applying pressure to the leader. He took the lead with an outstanding manoeuvre on lap five, passing the leader on the outside on the way into the chicane. Enzo was then embroiled in an exciting battle with Zendeli, which ran for several laps. His rival regained the lead with the help of DRS, but Enzo was able to counter and pass him again on lap seven. Then came an ill-fated attack from his rival, who hit the left rear of Enzo's car. The Brazilian suffered a puncture and had to return to the pits. This put an end to any hopes of a podium. Despite this, Enzo continued to demonstrate his impressive pace for the rest of the race and set some of the fastest laps. In the end, he crossed the finish line in 20th place.
Jack Doohan (Australia) made a good start from 17th place on the grid on Sunday and gained several positions. Jack then lost his front wing, when he made contact whilst attempting to overtake another rival on lap two. He had to pit and rejoined the race one lap behind the rest of the field. After that, there was not a lot more he could do. On multiple occasions, in accordance with the rules, he had to let drivers behind him lap him. Jack ended the race in 22nd place.
Hughes and Fittipaldi in the points on Saturday
Jake Hughes started Saturday's race from third place, but lost a position in the first turn when he was passed by another car. However, Jake regained third place on lap three. He then set off in pursuit of the front two, clocking the fastest lap of the race in the process, and took second place on lap six courtesy of a skilful manoeuvre in the Ascari Chicane. Jake continued to put the leader under pressure and show great pace. Just as the race looked set for a two-man battle for victory, a safety car phase on lap twelve shook things up again. The chasing pack closed in on Jake, who lost pace after the restart on lap 14 and promptly lost second place. With two laps to go, Jake still held the third spot on the podium, but two rivals had closed to within touching distance. Jake did all he could to defend third place, but had no hope of holding off the competition with DRS on the long straight on lap 21. Jake ultimately fell back to fifth place on the final lap.
Enzo caught the eye with an impressive fightback on Saturday. Having qualified down in 17th place, he initially had a seemingly disastrous start: an issue with the clutch saw him fail to get off the mark when the lights turned to green, and the entire field pulled past him. He switched to 'all or nothing' mode and set off in pursuit. By lap five, he had already climbed into 22nd place. The son of two-time Formula 1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi continued to work his way through the field, courtesy of strong pace and an impressive sense of timing for overtaking manoeuvres. He moved into 18th place on lap eight, and was running 16th by the time the safety car made its appearance. Three laps from the finish, Enzo took twelfth place and moved to within striking distance of a points finish. The 19-year-old did indeed overtake another two cars on the final lap and, after a time penalty for one of his rivals, ended the race in ninth place, having climbed 21 positions in 22 laps.
Jack drove consistently for much of Saturday's race, and soon climbed from 18th on the grid into 16th place. On lap ten, he was involved in a battle with team-mate Enzo, who passed Jack. The son of five-time motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan remained within touching distance and attempted to counter after a safety car phase. In doing so, he reacted a little too quickly and, in the opinion of race control, overtook Enzo before crossing the start/finish line. Jack went on to finish twelfth, but was relegated five positions and classified in 17th place.
The FIA Formula 3 Championship continues on 12th and 13th September with two races in Mugello.
- HWA RACELAB - Enzo Fittipaldi HWA RACELAB - Enzo Fittipaldi
- HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes
- HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes
- HWA RACELAB - Jack Doohan HWA RACELAB - Jack Doohan
- HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes
- HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes
- HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes
- HWA RACELAB - Enzo Fittipaldi HWA RACELAB - Enzo Fittipaldi
- HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB - Jake Hughes
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Quotes on the race weekend
Enzo Fittipaldi (19, Brazil, car number 14), 9th and 20th place
"I am very disappointed with Sunday's result, having led alongside Lirim Zendeli for half the race. The pace was there, that was clear to see. I was faster than Zendeli and was also able to pull away from Jake. I think I could have won, if I had not had the puncture. But that is motor racing for you. I had strong pace again after the pit stop, and narrowly missed out on the fastest lap of the race on the final lap. Hopefully, I will get another opportunity to challenge for the win in Mugello."
Jake Hughes (26, Great Britain, car number 15), 5th and 1st place
"I am delighted with the win. The car felt excellent from lap one. After taking the lead, it was easy to get out of the DRS zone of the cars behind me. I was never under pressure and was able to extend my lead. We really deserved this success. The tyres were in perfect condition. We had a brief dip in form in Spa, but we have been in a steep upwards trend since Silverstone. I'd like to thank the whole team. I feel sorry for Enzo. I think he would have joined me on the podium."
Jack Doohan (17, Australia, car number 16), 17th and 22nd place
“I made a good start on Sunday and gained a few positions. I then wanted to overtake someone on the outside. We made contact in the process and I lost my front wing. That was really frustrating. I bounced back after the pit stop, but was no longer able to show my full potential. Because I was a lap back, I was shown the blue flag on several occasions and had to allow the drivers behind me to pass. That makes it hard to judge those laps. I now hope to have another good weekend in Mugello."
Thomas Strick, Team Principal HWA RACELAB
"We are now where we wanted to be. Our pace is up there at the front of the field, which gives us the opportunity to challenge for podiums. Congratulations to Jake! Respect to him for the way he took that win! It may sound like grumbling, but the team could have had an even better result. Enzo also had the pace to make it onto the podium. The way he battled for the lead was impressive. His fightback on Saturday was also fantastic. Hopefully, he will get a second chance in Mugello. We want to back up this weekend's performance there, and to end the season with another top result for the team."
Result of race one, Saturday 5th September:
1. F. Vesti PREMA Racing 38:22.192
5. Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB 38:29.611
9. Enzo Fittipaldi HWA RACELAB 38:34.384
17. Jack Doohan HWA RACELAB 38:39.054
Result of race two, Sunday 6th September:
1. Jake Hughes HWA RACELAB 37:52.033
20. Enzo Fittipaldi HWA RACELAB 39:17.886
22. Jack Doohan HWA RACELAB 38:35.758 + 1 lap
About HWA AG
HWA AG is an independent, 360° engineering specialist in the fields of automobile racing and high-performance cars. Formed in 1998 by Hans Werner Aufrecht, the company is based in Affalterbach (Germany) and employs roughly 300 highly-qualified members of staff. HWA AG offers all its products and services under the motto ENGINEERING SPEED: The company’s objective is to develop the best possible, high-quality solutions, in order to get its partners and customers to their destination quicker. The portfolio of services ranges from designing all vehicle components to assembling complete cars, together with the relevant logistics, after-sales and support services.
About HWA RACELAB
HWA RACELAB is HWA AG’s operations team in motorsport. It brings together experienced specialists in high-quality race engineering and the associated services, in pursuit of success on the motorsport scene. HWA RACELAB entered Formula E as a new team in the 2018/19 season, adding a future-oriented string to HWA’s wealth of racetrack expertise. HWA RACELAB has also been competing in the FIA Formula 3 Championship since 2019 and will be appearing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship from 2020. With eleven Drivers’ titles and over 180 race wins as a works team for Mercedes-AMG in the DTM, the company is one of the most successful players in international motorsport. HWA RACELAB also draws on the company’s other core areas of expertise, such as the development, assembly and running of GT cars for customer racing, as well as the assembly of Formula 3 race engines.
Annette Hörsch
Media
Tel: +49 (0) 7144 8717 – 215
E-mail: a.hoersch@hwaag.com