Formula 3: Fabio Scherer makes history
FIRST EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Fabio Scherer was the first Swiss driver in modern times to climb onto the overall winners' podium of the Formula 3 European Championship in the run-up to the 24 Hours of Spa. Victory would even have been possible for the Lucerne native, who was leading at times. The two later Formula 1 drivers Sébastien Buemi and Romain Grosjean also won in Formula 3 at the highest level. At the time, however, it was [...]
The two later Formula 1 drivers Sébastien Buemi and Romain Grosjean also won at the highest level in Formula 3. At that time, however, it was still the EuroSeries, from which the European Championship with FIA predicate emerged in 2012. This had previously existed from 1975 to 1982.
Fabio Scherer was the only Swiss driver in this year's field to come close to the podium, finishing fourth in the third race on the Pau street circuit in May. He missed the chance to climb the podium after the second race when he came second after a contact with a guardrail - but now he made up for this mistake on another legendary circuit.
A good feeling
In the second race on Friday afternoon, Scherer only started from tenth position in his Dallara F317 Volkswagen. However, the 19-year-old was tactically astute in the hot slipstream battle (official air temperature measured at 37 degrees!), taking advantage of the accidents of the competitors in front of him and soon found himself at the head of the 24-strong field.
The man from central Switzerland was ultimately unable to do anything against the attacks of his obviously faster and more experienced Motopark teammate Daniel Ticktum (winner of the 2017 Macau GP). Scherer was not entirely happy with second place and his first win in the rookie classification.
Fabio Scherer: "It was a good feeling to be in the lead, but more would have been possible. I wore out my tires too much on the way to the front, so I couldn't do anything against Daniel. Then I made a mistake on the last lap and had to let him go."
Progress pays off
Fabio is proud not only of the first podium by a Swiss in the Formula 3 European Championship, but also of the progress he has made, which has paid off with this. He also successfully completed his commercial training between the races in Hungary and Nuremberg.
Fabio Scherer: "After the races at the Norisring, where things went really badly, I worked on myself. At Zandvoort, things started to look up again. My pace was already good there, but you can't overtake as well as you can at Spa, otherwise I would have finished in more than fifth place. And after I was only 19th in qualifying here at Spa, I moved up to ninth in the first race."
Fastest man of the weekend
In the third race on Saturday morning - after a light rain on a drying track and at only 23.8 degrees - Scherer started tenth. In the early stages he dropped to the back of the field after a push from a rival (who received a drive-through penalty for it), but worked his way back up to the same position over the course of the 16 laps.
This earned him another European Championship point. In his race to catch up, the Swiss turned the fastest Formula 3 race lap of the weekend, which was due not only to his strength on this circuit but also to the cooler asphalt temperatures.
Fabio Scherer: "It's frustrating when something like this happens. Because I think I could have won the race. I was extremely fast - whether in the pack or without a direct opponent in front of me."
In the championship, Fabio moved up from 15th to twelfth intermediate place after his best Formula 3 weekend so far.
First Formula 3 victory for Schumacher Jr.
History was also made in the third race at Spa by the youngster with the most famous name in the field. Mick Schumacher celebrated his first victory in his second Formula 3 season on the track where his father Michael made his Formula 1 debut with Jordan in 1991.
For the record-breaking world champion, this marked the beginning of a career that is still unique today. Where that of his son and also that of Fabio Scherer will lead remains to be seen.
