Mugello win puts Grosjean in points lead.

ASM F3 driver, Romain Grosjean won the ninth season round of the Formula 3 Euro Series at the 5.245 kilometre long Mugello circuit on Saturday.

With his fourth season win, the 21-year old Frenchman also took over the lead in the championship standings.

His fiercest rival in the battle for the title, 18-year old Swiss, S?bastien Buemi finished third, while his team-mate, Kamui Kobayashi was second.

Starting from pole position, Grosjean took the lead from the off and he then went on to claim a convincing lights-to-flag victory. At the flag his margin over Kobayashi was 16.312 seconds.

"Winning a race on the French national holiday is great! Today, my car was blindingly quick. I didn't even have to drive at the limit and I still extended my gap. In the next races, I will try to increase my lead in the championship standings," he noted.

Kobayashi meanwhile was more than content with the runners-up spot: "I am happy with second place. During the race, I tried to save my tyres and secure second place."

Buemi, who finished around three seconds off Kobayashi was philosophical about dropping to second in the standings.

"It wasn't easy, because I was driving with used tyres," explained the Mucke Motorsport man, "especially in the early stages, when Dani Clos and James Jakes behind me still had the advantage of new tyres, it was hard for me.

"Admittedly, Grosjean has now overtaken me in the points' standings, but the season is still long. The battle for the title in the 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series hasn't been decided yet."

James Jakes was fourth, just six tenths behind Buemi, while Signature-Plus duo Jean-Karl Vernay and Dani Clos were fifth and sixth, sandwiching the other Manor car of Franck Mailleux.

Renger van der Zande took the final point in eighth, 28 seconds off the winner.

Only two of the 23 starters failed to finish, namely Tom Dillmann and Tim Sandtler.

German, Nico H?lkenberg was classified in 21st place - and last, one lap down after he went off into the gravel trap after a collision at the first corner, losing any chance of scoring a good result. As a slight consolation, he set the fastest race lap.