Pizzitola triumphs in reverse-grid race at Hockenheim

Photo: Chris Schotanus

ART Junior Team’s Andrea Pizzitola took his maiden Formula Renault 2.0 NEC win in the third race of the opening round at Hockenheim.

Having finished sixth in race one, Pizzitola started race three from pole with Jack Aitken lining up alongside him. The Frenchman ended up untroubled for most of the race and took a deserved lights-to-flag victory, capitalising on the overtaking that went on behind him.

Another great overtaking performance saw Oliver Rowland take his third podium in three races, while polesitter for the first two races Matt Parry finished in third. His teammates, Mikko Pakari and Shahaan Engineer, took fourth and sixth, with Josef Kaufmann Racing’s Steijn Schothorst between them.

Gustav Malja, another JKR driver, finished seventh, ahead of Esteban Ocon, who had to fight back up the grid after losing a lot of positions in the beginning. Reigning champion Jake Dennis took ninth, while Jakub Dalewski took his first top ten finish in the series.

After round one, Rowland leads the championship with 68 points to Ocon’s 60 and Pakari’s 57. With none of them expected to do the series full-time this year, it’s Parry and Pizzitola who emerge from the opener as contenders.

Race results