Armstrong takes muted F3 victory as racing resumes at Spa

Ferrari junior driver Marcus Armstrong picked up his second victory of the FIA Formula 3 season on Sunday at Spa as racing resumed at the circuit.

Following the death of Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert in Saturday's Feature Race, a minute's silence was held before the start of the F3 race in memory of the Frenchman.

The F3 race marked the first on-track running since the F2 race was suspended for the crash involving Hubert, with Prema Racing's Armstrong leading the field away from pole position.

Despite coming under pressure from Leonardo Pulcini on the run to La Source, Armstrong was able to retain his lead and open up an early gap before a Safety Car was called for a crash involving Simo Laaksonen at Blanchimont.

Laaksonen crashed into the barrier at speed after light contact with another driver mid-corner, causing his car to run deep into the tyre barrier. Laaksonen was taken back to the medical centre, with his car being recovered to allow the race to resume.

Armstrong pulled clear of the field once again on the restart, ultimately leading all of the remaining 10 laps en route to his second win of the F3 season, giving his title hopes a boost.

Honda youngster Yuki Tsunoda scored his first F3 podium in second place ahead of Robert Shwartzman, who extended his championship lead to 23 points by taking third. Christian Lundgaard slipped from P2 to P4 in the final four laps, while Jehan Daruvala took fifth for Prema, losing more ground on Shwartzman in the title race.

Red Bull youngster Juri Vips saw his title ambitions take a hit as contact with Max Fewtrell before the Safety Car restart left him with a broken front wing, forcing him to complete a lap at slow speed before returning to the pits. He was ultimately classified 21st.

The F3 season continues next weekend at Monza in support of the Italian Grand Prix.