DAMS Lucas Oil earned their maiden Formula 3 points on debut during the Sprint Race in Australia, as Matías Zagazeta finished fifth in the season opener.

On Saturday, the Peruvian driver lined up on the front-row for the semi-reverse grid event after qualifying P11 and, following a challenging opening lap, settled into a great rhythm to cross the line in fifth, despite engine issues, taking the squad’s first points in the championship.

F3 rookies Christian Ho and Nicola Lacorte both produced excellent drives as Ho gained eight positions to finish 15th, while Lacorte stormed through the field, moving up thirteen places to clinch 17th.

Sunday’s Feature Race took place in tricky wet conditions, with Zagazeta battling on the verge of the points, before contact with another car and a penalty, meant he ended up 22nd. Alpine Academy member Lacorte crossed the line in 24th while Ho’s race concluded early after an incident.

Formula 3 heads to Bahrain International Circuit for testing on 26-28 March, before Round 2 takes place at the same venue on 11-13 April.

Matías Zagazeta: “To score points on the team’s debut in the championship is a brilliant feeling. We put in a great showing during qualifying and the Sprint Race, which is very pleasing. The upcoming test in Bahrain will be important to continue our progress, and the three days should leave us in a great position for the next round.”

Qualifying: 11th | Sprint Race: 5th (+6 points) | Feature Race: 22nd

Christian Ho: “The whole weekend was a very unique experience as in my previous racing series there has never been this many people around! The pace in the Sprint Race was strong in the dry conditions, which is a great sign of how we’ve improved since Barcelona. We’ll be looking to make another step forward in the test days at Bahrain before racing there next month.”

Qualifying: 23rd | Sprint Race: 15th | Feature Race: DNF

Nicola Lacorte: “It was a positive weekend as it’s clear that we made several improvements from pre-season testing. We got unlucky in qualifying with some traffic and red flags, meaning we would start both races from the back of the grid. However, on Saturday I made up 13 places, which was great fun! On Sunday we didn’t get too many racing laps due to a number of Safety Car periods, limiting our progress. It’s a good start and there is certainly more to come from us in Bahrain.”

Qualifying: No Time Set | Sprint Race: 17th | Feature Race: 24th

Charles Pic, Team Owner: “We showed a big step forward after pre-season testing in Barcelona this weekend. It was amazing to score our first points of the campaign with Matías, as he battled through engine issues during the Sprint Race to come fifth. Christian and Nicola also put on excellent displays, gaining several positions, showing they’ve got confidence in the car. Sunday was tricky in wet conditions but there were still some positive signs throughout the race. We’re now heading into the Bahrain test with areas to improve on, but knowing that we can fight with those teams around us.”

Image: Dutch Photo Agency