Pinnacle Motorsport caps F3 Asian season as 2021 vice-champions
Pinnacle Motorsport's title chase in the F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA has now come to a close after five back-to-back rounds in the condensed 2021 calendar. The Motorsport Ireland licensed-team secured six race victories in total, earning Pierre-Louis Chovet 2nd in the Driver's Standings when the season ended at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
The Frenchman was 6th fastest in both Qualifying sessions, which left him with a lot of work to do during the races in order to protect his 32 point lead. He was caught in a scuffle in the opening laps of Race 13 on Friday evening and lost several places in the process. He managed to climb his way back up to 5th place by the time chequered flag dropped to keep his title hopes alive. His teammate Alessio Deledda did a stellar job racing under the lights of Abu Dhabi. Coming from P18 on the grid, he muscled his way through the field to secure a hard-earned 13th place at the finish. Alexandre Bardinon, on the other hand, had a disappointing start to the weekend and failed to finish after first lap contact with another car.
All of Chovet's hard work came undone in Race 14. He made contact with an opponent’s car while battling for position that sadly put an end to his race and wiped out his championship lead. This meant that Deledda was the highest-placed entry for Pinnacle Motorsport. It was a repeat performance from the Italian who stormed from P17 to another 13th place. Bardinon again was a non finisher with last lap contact but was classified in 17th.
His earlier DNF placed Chovet a single point behind closest-rival Guanyu Zhou leading in to the final race of the season. With the title on the line, he gave it everything in the hopes of catching and passing Zhou. But his charge could only get him up to 5th where he would finish. Deledda's race was cut short when he collided with another car, ending his strong run during the season ender. Bardinon had misfortune again that left him out of the classification after a collision.
Despite missing out on the title, the team is still pleased to conclude the 2021 F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA as vice-champion with Pierre-Louis Chovet.
John O'Hara, Team Director: “It was a great way to return to racing after the long break. We were in the title fight from the season-opener until the very end. Although we narrowly missed out on the championship with Pierre-Louis, we're satisfied we pushed ourselves to the limit every weekend. Thank you also to Alessio, Alexandre, Matthias, and every team member for making the 2021 season memorable for Pinnacle Motorsport.”
Accompanying Pinnacle Motorsport on their F3 Asian Championship campaign are partners Teng Tools and Motorsport Ireland.
Organized by Top Speed, F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA is a new single-spec F3 championship designed to provide a stepping stone for regional drivers into Formula 2 and ultimately Formula 1. It focuses on performance, safety, and cost control for up-and-coming talent in the world's most dynamic region.
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