For the fourth season in a row, the ASM Formule 3 team can toast success in the F3 Masters after Nico Hulkenberg secured victory in the Zandvoort Masters of Formula 3 @ Zolder.
Hulkenberg had qualified in third place on the grid at the Belgian circuit but when pole-man Romain Grosjean stalled on the line, Hulkenberg took full advantage to surge into the lead on the run to the first corner – despite the other front-row starter Franck Mailleux jumping the start.
Hulkenberg gradually extended his lead over Mailleux before the Frenchman was called into the pits to serve a drive through penalty, and no-one else got close to the man who carried Germany to the A1GP crown as he took victory by more than six and a half seconds.
“Actually, it hasn't yet sunk in that I have won Europe's most important Formula 3 race,” he reflected. “My start was good and I was in the lead. After that, I just pushed to pull a gap over my opponents. The race wasn't easy as there were many cars to be lapped and there was a lot of sand at the track after drivers spun out.”
Behind Hulkenberg, the Signature Plus team was able to celebrate a double podium finish, with Yann Clairay second and Jean-Karl Vernay third. Perhaps even more impressive however than the Signature 2-3, was the performance of New Zealander Brendon Hartley, who celebrated his F3 debut with a fourth place finish for the Mucke Motorsport squad.
Renger van der Zande took fifth ahead of Edoardo Piscopo and Edoardo Mortara completed the top eight. Showing the domination of the F3 Euroseries, Harald Schlegelmilch was ninth, with the leading runner from the British F3 International series being the current points leader Marko Asmer down in tenth place.
