Fumanelli and Cunha score Portimao wins

Alex Fontana’s European F3 Open championship lead was fortunate to survive significant damage after suffering a difficult weekend at Portimao where David Fumanelli and Yann Cunha picked up a win apiece.

Fahmi Ylias was unable to convert his race one pole position into the lead at the first corner when both Juan Carlos Sistos and Fumanelli pounced. Fernando Monje was fourth ahead of the battling trio of Cunha, Noel Jammal and Fabio Gamberini.

By lap two the race had already lost one of this year’s title protagonists when Victor Correa was forced to retire. Then, six laps later, Sistos too hit trouble when his EmiliodeVillota Motorsport Dallara developed a handling issue, gifting Fumanelli the lead and subsequent win, as well as Ylias second.

Further back Monje’s retirement set up a straight fight between Cunha and Fontana who had earlier passed Jammal. On lap 16 the pair touched wheels along the main straight for which the championship leader would be later penalized, dropping him to 11th.

The Copa class saw West-Tec pick up a 1-2 finish, Gamberini heading home Sam Dejonghe with Francisco Diaz third. 

Cunha picked up the race two victory ahead of Fumanelli and leading Copa class runner Dejonghe while Fontana battled back from his lowly grid position to claim fifth.

With Gamberini one place further back in sixth and Correa no better than 12th, Fontana largely survived his difficult weekend to escape with a 12-point lead with three rounds remaining.

Catch European F3 Open live on Motors TV.


Tom Hornsby