Piastri seals F3 title as Lawson wins the last race

F1 Grand Prix, GP Tuscany Ferrari 1000, Autodromo Internazionale di Mugello

After 11 weeks of remarkable racing and non-stop drama, Prema driver Oscar Piastri has secured the crown with a tally of 164 points, three ahead of Theo Pourchaire. Logan Sargeant fell just four points short in third.

The last race of the season saw Liam Lawson take a controlled victory with the Kiwi finishing over seven seconds ahead of David Beckmann. Theo Pourchaire clinched third place. There was, however, exciting drama all through the race.

Logan Sargeant started the day second in the Championship order, level on points with Piastri. The Florida-born had one hand on the crown heading into the first corner, only to see his title bid fall apart. Battling hard at Turn 2 following the start, he was forced out of the race on the very first lap after a coming together with Trident’s Lirim Zendeli.

The incident left Piastri and Pourchaire battle it out on the track. The Frenchman needed at least third place to take the title, and he managed to achieve that by getting past Alex Smolyar, Enzo Fittipaldi and Sebastian Fernandez.

His championship rival Oscar Piastri was struggling for pace in the first part of the race. After stuttering and falling back to P10 following an early safety car period, the Australian had to work his way up the order to secure the title. In the end, he climbed up three positions, overtaking Smolyar, Vesti and Fernandez which was enough for him to take the title, three points ahead of Pourchaire.

Ending the season in fifth place in the drivers’ standing, race winner Lawson was happy to end this intense season on a high.

“Just had the last race of the year in Mugello and we were able to win, which was a really nice way to end the year. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with the overall results, as it is frustrating not to achieve our goal this year, but it is still nice to finish the year in this way.

“It has been very, very up and down, but I am very, very happy to win the last race of the year, so a massive thank you to Hitech and Red Bull for making this year possible.”

Although the season draws to a close now, the action will continue soon. Post-season testing at Barcelona is up next, starting on October 5, where the preparation for the 2021 season will begin.