Monaco Challenge: Dino Beganovic’s Potential Hindered by Red Flag
In Monaco, track position is crucial, and poor qualifying can severely impact a driver’s weekend. This was the case for Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy student Dino Beganovic during the fourth round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The Swedish driver had the potential for a strong performance, but bad luck on the street circuit thwarted his efforts. While on a quick lap in qualifying, Beganovic had to lift off the throttle just meters from the chequered flag due to a red flag incident, ending the session early. This relegated him to sixth on the grid, affecting both the Feature and Sprint races.
“Ending the weekend with a sixth and seventh place is not what I wanted,” Beganovic commented. “We had great performance over the weekend, so it’s frustrating not to convert that into the results we deserved because of a red flag at the worst moment. We have to settle for these points from a difficult weekend and focus on the next round in Barcelona. I can’t wait to get back on track as I have rediscovered a great feel for the car.” After eight races this season, Beganovic is fourth in the championship with 58 points.
Sprint Race
The first race of the weekend followed the typical Monaco pattern: high drama at the start, followed by a procession of cars with few position changes and Safety Car appearances. The race was red-flagged to clear debris after a collision. Beganovic started seventh and finished in the same position, despite demonstrating his pace by setting the fastest lap of the race. “It was a positive race apart from the actual result, as we had very good pace. We knew it would be practically impossible to make up places, so we aimed to get the additional point for the fastest race lap and we managed it.”
Feature Race
In the Feature Race, Beganovic held onto sixth place from the grid, navigating the tricky first corner, Ste. Devote, without incident. The Safety Car was deployed immediately, resuming at the end of lap 2, with Beganovic sandwiched between Leonardo Fornaroli and Joseph Loake. The Safety Car made two further appearances due to incidents outside the top ten, leading to no position changes. Beganovic finished the race in sixth place, making no mistakes.
Despite the frustrating weekend, Beganovic remains optimistic, focusing on the positives and looking forward to the next round in Barcelona.
