Taito Kato finishes P11 in the Monaco Feature Race
Circuit de MonacoThe Feature Race for Round 2 of the FIA Formula 3 Championship in Monaco was held at the Circuit de Monaco on Sunday 7 June.
Feature Race: started P14 → finished P11
The Feature Race, which brought the Monaco round to a close, began at 7:45am on Sunday 7 June in dry conditions, with an air temperature of 20°C and a track temperature of 24°C. On the Circuit de Monaco, where overtaking is difficult, the opening moments of the race offer one of the biggest opportunities to gain positions. In this final race of the round, each driver attacked from Turn 1 on the opening lap, as they had done in the previous day’s Sprint Race. Taito Kato made a strong start from P14 on the grid and gained three positions to move up to P11.
However, after a car crashed at Turn 18 before the final corner, the Safety Car (SC) was deployed on lap 2. Following the restart on lap 5, the race settled into a calmer rhythm, with the cars running closely together. Chasing points for the second consecutive round after the season opener in Australia, Kato kept close pressure on the car in P10 and looked for an opportunity to overtake, but no chance came before the end of the race, and he finished the 27-lap race in P11.
For Kato, who had been unable to secure a higher grid position in qualifying, the two races on the Circuit de Monaco proved challenging. However, he had shown his pace by setting the fastest time in the collective test held at the Red Bull Ring in May. At Round 3 in Barcelona, held as part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 12 to 14 June, he will aim to convert the speed he showed in testing into a race-weekend result.
Looking back on the Monaco race week, I think it was a very tough weekend. It was my first time driving in Monaco, but I was able to get reasonably well up to speed in free practice. However, in qualifying, I made a few mistakes myself, and as a team we struggled a little as well. As a result, I qualified in P14, which meant I started both the Sprint Race and the Feature Race from 14th, making them very difficult races.
In the Sprint Race, I was able to make a good start, overtake several cars and move up to within one place of the points. However, on the opening lap at the Loews Hairpin, the cars ahead were involved in a multi-car crash, and I was caught up in it.
In the Feature Race as well, I made a good start and was able to move up from P14 to P11. I was just one place away from the points, but because of the nature of the Monaco circuit, it was extremely difficult to overtake, and I took the chequered flag in that position.
It was a very frustrating weekend, but there were also many things to learn from it, so I want to make sure I use those lessons going forward.
Looking back on the Monaco race week, I think it was a very tough weekend. It was my first time driving in Monaco, but I was able to get reasonably well up to speed in free practice. However, in qualifying, I made a few mistakes myself, and as a team we struggled a little as well. As a result, I qualified in P14, which meant I started both the Sprint Race and the Feature Race from 14th, making them very difficult races.
In the Sprint Race, I was able to make a good start, overtake several cars and move up to within one place of the points. However, on the opening lap at the Loews Hairpin, the cars ahead were involved in a multi-car crash, and I was caught up in it.
In the Feature Race as well, I made a good start and was able to move up from P14 to P11. I was just one place away from the points, but because of the nature of the Monaco circuit, it was extremely difficult to overtake, and I took the chequered flag in that position.
It was a very frustrating weekend, but there were also many things to learn from it, so I want to make sure I use those lessons going forward.
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