F3: Hadjar weathers chaotic Feature Race for lights-to-flag win

Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar soaked up the pressure in extremely wet conditions at the Red Bull Ring, to claim a third victory in his rookie campaign, finishing ahead of championship rival Victor Martins and Oliver Bearman.

Heavy showers before the race left the field facing an abundance of standing water and poor visibility due to the spray. Hadjar kept himself out of trouble while those behind faltered. Seeing off a rolling start, an early attack from Martins and a late Safety Car, even a big mistake in the opening laps wasn’t enough to deny him victory.

READ MORE: Who gained and lost the most positions in the Red Bull Ring Sprint?

A mistake of his own proved costly for Martins, who narrowly avoided spinning out of the race and found himself unable to catch Hadjar ahead. Meanwhile, Oliver Bearman got the better of fellow Ferrari Academy junior Arthur Leclerc for third. Zane Maloney enjoyed a tasty duel with Alpine Academy driver Caio Collet as he climbed up the order from eighth to fifth while Roman Stanek took sixth ahead of Franco Colapinto and Alexander Smolyar, who made up an astounding eight places from 16th.

Jenzer Motorsport were the huge beneficiaries as four drivers’ hopes crumbled with two laps to go. A poor restart for Saturday’s Sprint Race winner Jak Crawford, fellow Red Bull junior Jonny Edgar and Collet saw the trio make contact and spin out of the points.

Meanwhile, contact between Stanek and Kaylen Frederick gave the American driver a puncture. This allowed William Alatalo to get up into ninth from 14th at the start and his team mate Ido Cohen secured his first points in the championship, rounding out the top 10.

Martins' lead over Hadjar stands at just one point, Leclerc another six points behind Hadjar as the field heads to Hungary on July 29-31.

For the full report, results and more news, visit the official F3 website.