DAMS Lucas Oil had to battle with fog and rain throughout its debut Formula 3 weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, with the Feature Race cancelled after a handful of laps behind the Safety Car.

Friday started with a postponed Free Practice due to poor visibility caused by fog, moving Qualifying to the evening. When the session finally got underway, Nicola Lacorte clinched 15th on the grid for both races, missing out on the top-12 by just over a tenth of a second.

Saturday’s Sprint saw the Italian have a tricky opening lap, but after this he was able to overtake some cars ahead, crossing the line 16th. Christian Ho finished 28th, while Matías Zagazeta was forced to retire after an incident.

Sunday’s Feature took place in heavy rain, meaning only two laps could be completed behind the Safety Car before the race was cancelled due to the weather. Lacorte was classified in 11th, with Ho in 18th and Zagazeta in 22nd.

Formula 3 now heads to Hungary for Round 9 of the season on 1-3 August, before the summer break ahead of the season finale in Monza.

Nicola Lacorte: “The weekend started well as I felt confident with the car from Free Practice and could push the limit. It was my best Qualifying performance of the season, missing out on the top-12 by just over a tenth of a second. The Sprint Race didn’t go as planned but I still managed to overtake cars after a difficult start. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t get any racing in the Feature due to the heavy rain.”

Qualifying: 15th | Sprint Race: 16th | Feature Race: 11th

Christian Ho: “It wasn’t my best weekend, and I’m disappointed after such a strong event at Silverstone, where we took points in both races. I know that I need to improve my performance on the medium tyre as we’ll have the same compound in Hungary. I’m hopeful that I can adapt to this and achieve a positive result during my first visit to the Hungaroring.”

Qualifying: 22nd | Sprint Race: 28th | Feature Race: 18th

Matìas Zagazeta: “It was a very tough event with a postponed session and the cancellation of the Feature Race. We suffered damage during the Sprint which meant we had to eventually retire the car. Overall, it’s not the weekend we wanted, but I’m already looking forward to Hungary, where Qualifying will be crucial.”

Qualifying: 26th | Sprint Race: DNF | Feature Race: 22nd

Charles Pic, Team Owner: “It was a challenging weekend with weather being a key factor like it normally is at Spa, leading to a postponed Free Practice and the cancellation of the Feature. Nicola showed promising pace throughout and only narrowly missed out on a spot in the top-12 in Qualifying. In the Sprint, he managed to overtake some cars after a difficult opening tour, while Christian struggled after going off on Lap 1. Matías unfortunately suffered contact, which later forced us to retire the car. On Sunday, the Feature started in heavy rain, and it was clear after the laps under the Safety Car that conditions weren’t safe, leading to its cancellation. Overall, it was a tricky weekend with not much optimal track time, but we’re aiming for a more positive event in Hungary before the summer break.”

Image: Dutch Photo Agency