AN OSCAR WINNING PERFORMANCE

Oscar Piastri grabbed a last-ditch FIA Formula 3 Championship crown in a thrilling title showdown at Mugello, pipping Theo Pourchaire by three points and team-mate Logan Sargeant by four. But he could so easily have had it all done and dusted before the field even arrived for the season-closing Tuscan Grand Prix support races. And equally, he could so easily have lost it. That he didn’t was testament to the skills of the series’ best driver, for Piastri was a fully deserving champion.

Renault F1 Junior Piastri was one of two drivers in the Prema Racing line-up who were stepping up as reigning champions in the lower categories. While the Australian had won the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup, thanks largely to scintillating racecraft that rescued him from a couple of severe setbacks, team-mate Frederik Vesti had conquered the less competitive Formula Regional European Championship with Prema. Alongside them