Esteban Masson (Campos Racing) & Mari Boya (MP Motorsport) shared Eurocup-3 wins in Estoril last weekend while the standings are now tighter than ever with top-3 separated by just six points ahead final two rounds.
Esteban Masson was unstoppable in Race 1 at the Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva climbing to the top step of the podium following a race of absolute dominance over his competitors, erasing the memory of a poor weekend in Jerez.
Starting from Pole Position on the starting grid, the French driver quickly pulled away from his teammate Francesco Braschi, securing yet fifth victory of the season.
The race was also excellent for Braschi, who was not intimidated by the constant presence of Sebastian Ogaard (MP Motorsport) right behind him at the start, aiming to close the gap in the championship. Braschi managed to maintain a lead of approximately 6 seconds over the Danish driver throughout all 20 laps, ensuring a 1-2 in Portugal for the Spanish team.
Completing the top three was Mari Boya from the Mp Motorsport team. The Spanish driver, starting in fourth place, engaged in an exciting battle with his teammate Ogaard, ultimately overtaking the Dane in lap 9, securing his spot on the podium.
Fifth place went to Nicholas Gilkes (Drivex Team), who achieved his best result of the season in Estoril. Saturday’s race was also marked by an interesting battle in the midfield for the victory among the rookies. Bruno Del Pino (MP Motorsport) and Dario Cabanelas (Sainteloc Racing) were the main contenders, but both were surpassed by Miron Pingasov (Palou Motorsport) who secured a solid seventh place and the top step of the rookie podium for the first time this season.
BOYA WINS REOPENS THE CHAMPIONSHIP
A podium colored by the orange of Mp Motorsport driver’s suits was celebrated in Race 2 at Estoril Circuit, with an Mp Motorsport 1-2-3 that marked the conclusion of the sixth event of the championship, featuring the unexpected victory of Mari Boya over his teammates Sebastian Ogaard and Jose Garfias.
The Spanish driver, fresh from his victory at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, started from the second row and wasted no time at the start in firmly overtaking Sunday’s pole-sitter, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak. Despite a less than brilliant start that prevented him from maintaining a firm lead against Esteban Masson, the Thai driver was outsmarted by a clever Boya, eventually dropping to sixth place and then making a comeback to fourth.
Masson had already established a lead of about 3 seconds over Boya by the first lap when, on lap 2, due to a collision between Daniel Mavlyutov and Jorge Campos, an immediate and extended safety car intervention was required, bringing all 16 remaining drivers back together.
Masson slowed down significantly upon the return of the safety car, zigzagging to warm up his tires almost to the finish line, and rightfully received a drive-through penalty. Masson’s mistake saw him finish outside the points and gift the victory to Boya. More importantly, it dramatically reopened the championship, with Boya now just 6 points behind Masson and Sebastian Ogaard trailing by 5 points.
Race 2 was particularly intense from the early laps for the Mp Motorsport drivers. Del Pino, Ogaard, and Garfias were the protagonists of a comeback against Inthraphuvasak, which led them to the second and third steps of the podium, occupied by the Danish driver and the Mexican. Bruno del Pino, on the other hand, couldn’t withstand the attack launched by teammate Sebastian Ogaard just a few meters after the start, as Ogaard was in pursuit of points to reduce the championship gap to Masson. Del Pino then finished fifth.
Behind him was Javier Sagrera, the first driver from Palou Motorsport, while the Italian Francesco Braschi finished seventh, engaging in a fierce battle with Nick Gilkes. Completing the top 10 were the Danish driver Sebastian Gravlund and the Frenchman Dario Cabanelas, who, with his Sainteloc-branded car, managed to hold onto the single point offered by the tenth position.
With these results, Masson remains the leader with just a 5-point advantage over Ogaard and 6 points over Boya, with 112 points still up for grabs. On the other hand, Mp Motorsport leaves Estoril at the top of the team standings with a 9-point lead over Campos Racing.
Next Eurocup-3 event will be held at Circuit Ricardo Tormo (Valencia, Spain) on October 13-15
