Signature team driver Edoardo Mortara has emerged from the opening round of this year’s Formula 3 Euroseries in the joint lead of the championship.

The reigning F3 Euroseries rookie champion claimed two third-place finishes in order to establish his position at the head of the points table, racking up the first podiums for Volkswagen’s new Formula 3 engine.

The opening two races of the season were held at Hockenheim, which is due to host the German Grand Prix this year. The circuit is well known for its technical nature, containing both fast straights as well as some slow and twisty sections. This means that a versatile set-up and plenty of power is crucial.

It was an eventful weekend in Germany, as heavy rain meant that the scheduled qualifying session on Friday had to be abandoned. Instead, a short session was held on Saturday to determine the grid positions.

Edoardo qualified fourth on the grid for race one on Saturday and took the chequered flag in third, although he had a chance of finishing second. Unfortunately some earlier contact had damaged his rear diffuser, depriving him of downforce on slow corners. This meant that he slid wide on the hairpin and was unable to move further up the field.

Under the F3 Euroseries rules, the result of race one decides the grid for race two: but with the top eight positions reversed. This meant that the 21 year-old started from sixth place on Sunday morning, and he made an excellent getaway. Thanks to some opportunist overtaking moves in an action-packed race, Edoardo managed to claim his second podium of the weekend – and the joint lead of the championship.

“It’s been a fantastic weekend, and it’s great to lead the championship for the first time in my career,” said Edoardo. “We just concentrated on getting the job done and avoiding any unnecessary risks throughout the weekend. I’d like to thank both the Signature team and Volkswagen for making this possible. For a manufacturer to come in with a brand new engine that is quick and reliable straight away is a very impressive achievement. We’ve still got plenty of potential left for the future, so it’s been more than a positive start to the year.”

The next round of the hotly contested Formula 3 Euroseries takes place at Mugello in Italy from May 3-4.

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