A Volkswagen engine leads the Formula 3 Euroseries for the first time in the history of the championship, following Edoardo Mortara’s second place in race one of the meeting at Pau in the south of France this weekend.Mortara’s result means that the French-Italian is now eight points clear of Finn Mika Maki in the championship standings.

Mortara – who drives for the Bourges-based Signature team – qualified second and drove a flawless race in the twisty confines of the Pau street circuit. An incident-packed race meant that only 10 cars made the finish, but despite the numerous accidents and two safety car periods, Mortara survived the carnage.

“It was a great race, but I’m not getting too carried away as well still have another race to go tomorrow,” said the 21 year-old. “I’d like to thank Volkswagen and Signature, who have done a fantastic job so far. Whatever happens from now, our lead of the championship is solid proof of the potential of the package. I slightly clipped the wall during the race, but it’s nothing serious. Now I just have to concentrate on doing a good job tomorrow and maintaining the lead of the championship.”