The ART driver was rarely at risk as teammate Laurens van Hoepen dropped to 3rd on the grid behind Tim Tramnitz and was unable to regain position despite his German rival's lack of pace.

Remarkably, Tsolov's success means there has yet to be a repeat winner in F3 this season, with seven different drivers taking the highest step of the rostrum.

After a typical start in Monaco by which seven drivers – Sophia Floersch, Tommy Smith, Kacper Sztuka, Charlie Wurz, Martinius Stenshoorne, Cian Shields and Piotr Wiśnicki – recorded track violations at Sainte Devote, the one real motion of the day got here in the primary heat through Casino Square.

The initiators were Christian Mansell and Arvid Lindblad, the latter appearing to haven’t any sight of the automobile outside as he swerved wide to take the traditional racing line into the fitting side of the complex.

As a results of the contact, Lindblad turned his back and Joshua Dufek, Alex Dunne and Shields were drawn into the melee. All five drivers retired on the spot and initial contact between Lindblad and Mansell can be the topic of a post-race investigation.

In an try to avoid Sami Meguetounif, he luckily managed to flee after contact with Wiśnicki briefly knocked him onto two wheels.

Initially covered by the protection automobile, red flags were quickly raised and a few cars stuck together. Dunne and Mansell's cars were so difficult that they were brushed off while still connected to the gearbox on the front.

Luke Browning's strong start went unnoticed as he made two daring moves outside of Lindblad in Sainte Devote and Leonardo Fornaroli, the motive force to whom he lost the championship lead at Imola in Massenet.

After a half-hour delay, Tsolov took the lead upon the restart and quickly gained a bonus over Tramnitz, who was caught napping after an early surge.

As the race was a typical Monegasque follow-the-leader race, the variety of laps steadily increased until lap 13 when contact between Floersch, who was now given a 10-second penalty, and Sztuka resulted in race-ending damage to each competitors. , with the latter stopping on the track and causing one other safety automobile interruption.

After successfully negotiating a restart, Tsolov had a touching moment when he was investigated for failing to follow the race director's instructions regarding weaving through the restart.

The penalty for exceeding the designated point is five seconds. The margin was quickly instructed to withdraw to Tramnitz. However, with 4 laps left he could breathe easy when the stewards cleared him of any irregularities.

The effect of staying at the highest of the rankings is that Fornaroli stays in first place, although he has a reduced two-point lead over Browning, who finished one place ahead of his eighth-placed rival.

1	N. Tsolov Grand Prix of ART	25		23
2	T. Tramnitz MP Motorsport	7		23		4,300
3	L.Van Grand Prix of ART	24		23		0.800
4	N. Leon Van Amersfoort Racing	20		23		0.200
5	J. Locke Rodina Motorsports	31		23		1.100
6	M. Dye Campos Racing	12		23		0.400
7	D. Beganovic According to Powerteam	1		23		0.900
8	L. Browning Hitech Pulse-Osemka	14		23		4,900
9	L. Fornaroli Trident	4		23		0.300
10	O. Goethe Campos Racing	10		23		2,000
11	G. Minì According to Powerteam	2		23		0.400
12	C. Neighbor Rodina Motorsports	29		23		4.100
13	T. Smith Van Amersfoort Racing	22		23		0.700
14	M. Esterson Jenzer Motorsport	18		23		4,200
15	S. Ramos Trident	6		23		0.400
16	M. Stenshorne Hitech Pulse-Osemka	15		23		0.300
17	T. Inthrapuvasak PHM AIX Racing	26		23		2,400
18	S. Montoya Campos Racing	11		23		0.900
19	C. Root Jenzer Motorsport	17		23		0.700
20	J. Hedley Jenzer Motorsport	19		23		9,300
21	P. Wiśnicki Rodina Motorsports	thirty		23		8,000
dnf	S. Meguetounif Trident	5		20						Pension
dnf	N. Bedrin PHM AIX Racing	27		15						Pension
dnf	S. Flörsch Van Amersfoort Racing	21		13						Pension
dnf	K. Art MP Motorsport	8		12						Pension
dnf	A. Lindblad According to Powerteam	3		22						Accident
dnf	C. Mansell Grand Prix of ART	23		22						Accident
dnf	J. Dufka PHM AIX Racing	28		22						Accident
dnf	A. Dunne MP Motorsport	9		22						Accident
dnf	C. Shields Hitech Pulse-Osemka	16		22						Accident

The Prema Mini driver climbed to the highest of the F3 standings for the primary time this 12 months along with his first victory of 2024, survived several safety automotive interruptions to change into a record eighth winner of as many races this season.

Poleman ran slower than second placed Mansell (ART Grand Prix), but held the road through Sainte Devote and was capable of manage the race well.

Luke Browning (Hitech) stays second within the standings after ending third, while pre-race championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli followed Arvid Linblad (Prema) who got here home fifth and dropped to 3rd in points.

As was the case during Saturday's sprint race, the protection automotive was called to the track before the tip of the primary lap, and Piotr Wiśnicki was given a 10-second penalty for assisting Charlie Wurz in entering the barrier at Portier.

After the restart some drivers got here too close for comfort and Callum Voisin was lucky to flee the wrath of a steward after making contact with Tommy Smith before the Grand Hotel hairpin.

As the 27-lap race settled into its stride, overtaking was at a premium and the highest six (finished by Prema's Dino Beganovic) remained on the grid until the flag.

However, Rodin's driver Joseph Loake proved the exception to the rule by making a daring move on Mari Boyi in Rascasse and ending seventh. This followed a career-best fifth place within the sprint race.

However, the GB3 graduate struggled to overtake the Campos Racing driver, and a lock-up within the Nouvelle Chicane on lap 13 showed the pressure was starting to point out as he was forced to get through the second turn.

Things took a activate lap 20 on the Mirabeau circuit when sprint race winner Nikola Tsolov, Noel Leon and Sami Meguetounif landed on the barriers, although the latter was the one driver to retire from the scene.

After entering the corner, Tsolova's ART machine boldly attacked Leon, the Van Amersfoort Racing driver, but made contact and turned his rival around. Meguetounif was largely innocent when he arrived on the scene and located the road blocked.

Tsolov was given a 10-second penalty for causing the incident.

However, only a lap after the last restart, the protection automotive was called into motion again after Laurens van Hoepen drove his ART entry through the barriers at Tabac, fighting for ninth place with Loake.

The motion restarted with one lap remaining, but there have been no further incidents because the remaining drivers took the checkered flag with no latest damage.

F3 Monaco feature race results

1	G. Minì According to Powerteam	2		27					25		2
2	C. Mansell Grand Prix of ART	23		27		0.800			18
3	L. Browning Hitech Pulse-Osemka	14		27		0.900			15		1
4	A. Lindblad According to Powerteam	3		27		0.400			12
5	L. Fornaroli Trident	4		27		0.500			10
6	D. Beganovic According to Powerteam	1		27		0.400			8
7	M. Dye Campos Racing	12		27		1,800			6
8	T. Tramnitz MP Motorsport	7		27		0.400			4
9	J. Locke Rodina Motorsports	31		27		1,400			2
10	O. Goethe Campos Racing	10		27		1,400			1
11	K. Art MP Motorsport	8		27		0.400
12	T. Smith Van Amersfoort Racing	22		27		0.500
13	C. Neighbor Rodina Motorsports	29		27		0.400
14	S. Ramos Trident	6		27		1,600
15	S. Montoya Campos Racing	11		27		0.400
16	A. Dunne MP Motorsport	9		27		0.700
17	M. Esterson Jenzer Motorsport	18		27		0.400
18	T. Inthrapuvasak PHM AIX Racing	26		27		1,000
19	S. Flörsch Van Amersfoort Racing	21		27		0.200
20	J. Dufka PHM AIX Racing	28		27		0.400
21	C. Shields Hitech Pulse-Osemka	16		27		1,200
22	J. Hedley Jenzer Motorsport	19		27		0.700
23	N. Leon Van Amersfoort Racing	20		27		1,400
24	N. Bedrin PHM AIX Racing	27		27		0.200
25	P. Wiśnicki Rodina Motorsports	thirty		27		3.100
26	M. Stenshorne Hitech Pulse-Osemka	15		27		5,800
27	N. Tsolov Grand Prix of ART	25		27		2.100
dnf	L.Van Grand Prix of ART	24		22						Accident
dnf	S. Meguetounif Trident	5		19						Pension
dnf	C. Root Jenzer Motorsport	17		26						Accident

O'Sullivan claimed an unimaginable F2 victory on the streets of Monaco, starting fifteenth on the grid after a late incident involving Zane Maloney and Joshua Durksen modified the script.

Hadjar was heading in the right direction for victory after controlling the race following Richard Verschoor's mid-race retirement, but became furious and refused to talk to anyone when he saw O'Sullivan exit the pits in front of him.

Knowing that the one likelihood of scoring points on Sunday was a late safety automobile intervention or similar, ART left O'Sullivan on soft tires until lap 40, a risk that was rewarded in essentially the most dramatic fashion as he became the eighth different winner of the season.

Despite Hadjar's fury, the Frenchman moved as much as second within the championship, while third-placed Paul Aron climbed to the highest because of Maloney's inability to attain.

Isack Hadjar, Campos Racing, 1st place on the rostrum

Photo: Mark Sutton / Motorsport images

The start of an F2 feature race is as a rule a quieter affair than a sprint, with drivers confident that pit strategy and safety cars can lift them to the rank.

That was largely evident on Sunday, other than a moment of minor contact between Jake Crawford and Invicta driver Kush Maini within the Grand Hotel turn that eliminated the previous.

The start was also one other nightmare in a difficult season for Alpine-backed Victor Martins. After winning his qualifying group and taking second place on the grid, the ART driver bogged down and dropped like a rock to fifteenth place just before the lights went out.

However, the true drama occurred on lap 19, when Richard Verschoor, leading the race, reported an issue that ultimately ended the race. The problem appeared to limit his Trident's power output entering the race, and although he was able to keep up his position until the pit stops, he was attacked by Hadjar, Paul Aron and the remainder of the sphere shortly after returning to the track.

After leapfrogging Nouvelle Chicane in defense against Aron, Verschoor was handed a five-second penalty, which he served before completing his final tour and retiring.

An additional post-race investigation was announced after he removed the steering wheel and threw it from the automobile before stopping within the pits.

Also within the stoppage phase, Prema, in a duo with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, secured some close motion, going wheel-to-wheel when the previous returned to the track. Ultimately, Bearman sealed the position with a cutting maneuver on the Grand Hotel turn.

Having followed Franco Colapinto for a while, Antonelli was at the middle of the motion again on lap 37 when he made a daring move to steer the MP Motorsport driver past Antony Noghes and climbed to eighth place.

Then got here the twist within the story on lap 40 when O'Sullivan, using an alternate strategy, was given a free stop and Maloney and Durksen got here together because the latter returned to the track from his own stop.

After pitting before the VSC was called, O'Sullivan's stop was deemed legal and allowed the ART driver to steal the victory from Hadjar in essentially the most dramatic of circumstances.

Monaco – Feature race

If you qualify poorly in Monaco, you’ll find yourself in a low position unless there’s a security automotive or some weather-related chaos. This is the widely accepted approach to conduct on the streets of the Principality.

Although Williams junior driver Zak O'Sullivan benefited from the intervention of a virtual safety automotive during his improbable journey from fifteenth on the grid to the highest step of the Formula 2 podium, describing the victory as “the luckiest victory in the history of luck” – as written on social media – is probably unfair.

Although the statistics show his fastest lap was only lap 18, the Briton had enough pace on his old starting tires to employ another strategy after which benefited from a timely stop and a brief break within the motion which translated into points. -translating the result into victory.

In the case of the ART pitwall, two necessary decisions needed to be made inside 42 laps, and one among them took place before the cars left the starting grid: which tires to placed on.

The selection was to start out on soft or supersoft tires – a compound name long since withdrawn from Formula One – under rules that said each needed to be run within the race. While this will look like a straightforward decision, on a track where overtaking is incredibly difficult, playing long distances is a technique that may only repay if the race is neutralized late enough within the race.

On the contrary, starting with the softest option and choosing an early safety automotive – something common in Monaco – would have allowed the driving force to stop during this era and reach the flag. The downside is that almost all leaders may even persist with this plan, thus limiting the chance for progress. This option can be often strongest in a race where there isn’t a stopping.

“The engineers called,” explained Amaury Lardon, O'Sullivan's race engineer, when asked by Motorsport.com about the driving force's level of involvement in the choice. “Zak and I talked before the race and we just said we’d make a call [the tyres] in the beginning, we’d select one of the best thing by taking a look at the cars nearby. “I'm sure Zak – in the car – doesn't see the whole strategy.”

O'Sullivan crossed the finish line first within the Monaco F2 feature race – a result few would have predicted after qualifying

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Once soft tires have been chosen, decision two regarding the pitwall is when to bring the driving force in for the mandatory stop. As for O'Sullivan's strategy, it could seem that the apparent option was to run so long as possible and hope for a break at the tip – this was the choice chosen by ART. But this doesn’t guarantee the result. The driver must proceed to take care of race pace relative to those that stopped earlier to realize any positional advantage.

This is where a component of luck comes into play. Although O'Sullivan's victory was not entirely to happiness, nor can one deny the fate that befell him. To achieve an improbable victory, a virtual or full safety automotive was needed on lap 40 for O'Sullivan to pit and return to the track ahead of Isack Hadjar's Campos machine, the primary of those to have already stopped.

However, because drivers should not allowed to pit for a compulsory stop under the virtual safety automotive, O'Sullivan not only needed a break, but additionally needed to fall out as he entered the pit lane. Interestingly, this exact scenario occurred.

“The VSC arrived at the perfect time because if it had been five or 10 seconds earlier, I would have been disqualified for not making the mandatory pitstop.”
Zak O'Sullivan

When Joshua Durksen, one other of those stopped at the tip of the race, collided with then championship leader Zane Maloney after leaving the pits, it had huge consequences. The resulting VSC was displayed at the right time for O'Sullivan, although he admitted to Motorsport.com that he was unaware of the situation until leaving the stop.

“I was in Rascasse and suddenly I got a call saying: 'Box box box box',” he recalls. “I entered the pit lane and only after leaving the pit box did I have a look at the timing crane and see VSC.

“At that time I looked within the mirror, got here out of the pits and there was nobody in front, nobody in back, and I assumed, 'Oh, I feel we're leading the race.' So yeah, some pretty crazy circumstances. Of course, VSC arrived at the right time, because if it had been five or 10 seconds earlier, I might have been disqualified for missing the mandatory pitstop.

Lardon adds: “When the VSC got here out, it was only at the start of the pit lane and within the pitwall we were just joyful because we knew we were in first place at that time.

Hadjar was the driving force who missed the VSC resulting from timing

Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

“But it wasn't finished yet since the VSC ended with two laps to go, so we told Zak we needed to push. Isack was on the back so we needed to push to warm up the tires, but at that time we were very joyful and it was a great moment.

O'Sullivan's pace in clear air was such that he had an 18.7s advantage over Hadjar before stopping. While this wasn't enough to stop and maintain the lead in green flag conditions, he would likely still have returned to the track in the midst of the points-winning positions – an astonishing achievement considering his low starting position.

“Without VSC we would have finished in the top five, and starting 15th in Monaco is a really good result,” says Lardon.

Asked if he was surprised that no other driver pushed this strategy all the best way, he adds: “Yes, however the thing is that Zak was really fast and everybody else wasn't that fast.

“If you don't pit, at that time you lose positions. It was definitely dangerous, but in our situation it was easy because we were faster than everyone else, so we just stayed on the right track. But others [on the strategy] they were slow and at that time they’d to cover other drivers. The surprise was that nobody did the identical as us, but ultimately Zak was the fastest.”

Suggesting that a top-three finish was not out of the query even without intervention, O'Sullivan added: “Without a doubt I believed wholeheartedly in a great result. We were actually just specializing in getting track position because although I got here out on cold tires I feel we were struggling [Oliver] Bearman for P3. I used to be sure I could pass at the very least a number of cars for the primary few laps until I got the temperature right.

“When they began talking about if we had a security automotive we could win the race, I assumed, 'Well, there won't be a security automotive.' It could be great, but I'm sure there can be no safety automotive. Of course the VSC arrived, in order that part was very joyful, especially the timing. result was possible [without it] – but probably not a victory.

O'Sullivan believes that a great result would still have been achievable even without the VSC, although he admits it was what gave him victory within the race

Photo: Red Bull Content Pool