Noah Strømsted has been experiencing his first full time season in Formula 3. The Trident driver currently finds himself fourth in the Formula 3 Driver Championship after a strong first half of the season.
The Formula 3 season got off to a flying start for the Danish driver as he secured 18 points during the season opener. Lining up eleventh on the grid for the Sprint Race, he had a good launch at the start and moved up three positions to P8. However, the VSC was deployed soon after lap 1 as his teammate, Charlie Wurz, unfortunately ended with a DNF after early collision damage.
On lap 4 a full safety car was deployed as Strømsted’s other teammate, Rafael Camara, had a collision with Van Hoepen and Wharton leading to another DNF for Trident. After the restart, the last Trident driver standing was able to keep in the top eight positions for quite a few laps, however after he went to pit on lap 17 with a broken front wing, he was not able to rejoin. Unfortunately leading to his first DNF of the season.
Demanding start to the season
While the Sprint Race was rough for the Trident team and left them with zero points, the Feature Race held another fate. Lining up on the front row next to his polesitting teammate, Rafael Camara, the Feature Race was off to a promising start. The Melbourne Feature Race brought plenty of challenges for the young drivers, especially considering the wet conditions.
The race was forced to a rolling start due to the mighty weather conditions, but when it went green, the Danish driver was under pressure. The rain made it difficult to keep close to Camara in front of him as the spray and low visibility created quite the challenge. After the safety car restart on lap 5, it appeared to be plain sailing for the Dane, even with the several safety cars and rigorous circumstances.
The 17-year-old remained composed and raced smart for the remainder of the race in the demanding wet conditions. While the race was stopped on lap 18 due to a red flag, the Trident drivers showed what they are here for. Strømsted’s sharp driving helped the team secure a crucial double podium finish after the taxing sprint race. The Mercedes junior raced his way to his first podium of the season and grabbed an amazing 18 points in the Feature Race.
Teammate battles
The following round in Bahrain proved to be another demanding weekend for the Danish driver. While he managed to qualify seventh, the Sprint Race was tricky. The Mercedes Junior maintained his position at the start, however he quickly tumbled down the field at the beginning of lap 2 when the battles became plenty. In the end, he clung to the top ten and grabbed one point for his P10 finish.
The Feature Race was better for the Dane, however it did come with its own demands. Particularly, from lap 19 where he had quite the battle with his own teammate, Charlie Wurz. The two teammates battled close as Strømsted unsuccessfully tried to go down the inside of Wurz. Later on lap 20, they were close to contact and eventually Strømsted managed to overtake him on lap 21 while Wurz appeared to be struggling a bit. At the end, Strømsted managed to secure a P6 finish and grab another 8 points.
The roller coaster of a triple header
The triple header proved quite the roller coaster for the Danish driver. It began on a high note as the Imola GP weekend ended up being his overall best performing weekend of the first six rounds.
The Mercedes junior started strong in Imola where he had a brilliant qualifying securing a P3 start. In the Sprint Race, he lined up tenth due to the reverse Sprint grid, but managed to climb his way up the field slightly. In the end, he secured a P6 in the Sprint Race, and snagged the fastest lap which gained him an extra point.
The chaotic Feature Race had Strømsted starting on the second row alongside Taponen. While the start was hectic and dropped him two positions, the Mercedes junior fought his way up with some brave overtakes to regain his position.
The Danish driver did a wonderful job of defending his P2 spot throughout the remainder of the race, after he eventually climbed his way back to it. In the end, Strømsted and Camara brought home another incredible double podium finish for the Trident team. The Imola weekend finished with the 17-year-old gaining another 25 points for the team with points in both the Sprint and Feature Race.
The low point
Then came the grueling Monaco GP weekend which left the Trident driver with zero points for the first time this season. The Sprint Race begun with Strømsted lining up fifteenth, which was his first time starting outside of the top twelve. Unfortunately, the Monaco Sprint Race ended prematurely for the Mercedes junior.
On lap 14, he ambitiously attempted to go down the inside of Dufek who had Benavides closely ahead of him. The move lead to contact with Benavides which caused a puncture that had him heading to the pits. The incident had the Trident driver tumbling down the field to P24, and he ultimately had to DNF during his pit stop.
Similarly, the Monaco Feature Race was not the greatest for the Trident driver as he finished outside of the points, in P14. To make matters worse, the Mercedes junior received a 10-second penalty after the Monaco Feature Race. The penalty was for crossing the white line at the pit exit in Turn 1 where he overtook Benavides and failed to give the position back despite overtaking him off track. After being penalized, his finishing result dropped from P14 to P18.
Eager to bounce back
The final piece of the triple header puzzle was Barcelona. While he lined up fifth for the Sprint Race, luck was not on his side. For a bit, it looked promising as Strømsted made it to P2 after the unfortunate early collision between the top 3. After the restart, the Trident driver was immediately under pressure from the cars behind but managed to stay composed.
The Mercedes junior was the fastest on track during lap 17, however he slowed down on lap 18 and rolled into the pit lane. For a while, it appeared as if the Trident driver could bring the team to another podium finish, however as he experienced an issue with the car, he went from P2 to being forced to DNF on Lap 19 out of 21.
Similarly, the Feature Race was tricky for the Mercedes junior. After lining up P8 on the grid, and losing two positions when the lights went out, he managed to cling onto a points finish and hold onto his P8. While it was not a great weekend for the Dane, he still managed to score 4 points for the team.
Refreshed and heading to Austria
The Trident driver will be eager to make up for the lost points during the triple header, this coming weekend in Austria. The young driver will undeniably do everything in his power to bounce back from the roller coaster of a triple header. Hopefully, he will be able to secure another podium finish soon. Perhaps he will continue what has been a strong first half of the season, despite the tough last couple of races.
