Taito Kato made history at the legendary Monza circuit by clinching his first-ever Formula 3 victory in a thrilling Sprint Race on Sunday morning. The 18-year-old Japanese driver delivered a stunning performance in front of the Italian crowd, capping off a perfect weekend for ART Grand Prix.
Yet, the biggest spotlight was on Freddie Slater, who stormed from 12th to second place in an unbelievable comeback charge. The championship leader came within a whisker of stealing the win, further cementing his dominance in the series.
Drama and Penalties Shake Up the Start
The race kicked off in chaos after a series of penalties reshuffled the grid. Ugochukwu dropped five places due to a dangerous maneuver, while De Palo was disqualified for a technical irregularity. Brando Badoer thus led from pole, but fate had other plans.
Badoer got tangled in an incident with Barrichello, making contact and sending both tumbling down the order. Clerot briefly took over the lead but then suffered an engine failure, opening the door for new names at the front.
A Historic Win on Home Soil
Giusti briefly led, but Kato kept his cool and eventually overtook him to claim an unforgettable victory. Behind him, Slater continued his relentless march, and with a few laps remaining, he snatched second place after Rivera ran wide.
With this result, Kato stood on the top step of the podium for the first time, hearing the Japanese national anthem echo around Monza. Meanwhile, Slater extended his championship lead, with Ugochukwu failing to score points.
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