David Twice Goes Forth in Standout Monza Weekend

Yevan David delivered the strongest weekend of his rookie FIA Formula 3 season at Monza, charging through the field to fourth place in both races and scoring 19 championship points.

The 19-year-old Sri Lankan arrived at the Italian circuit refreshed following the summer break and immediately showed strong pace, running sixth fastest in Free Practice.

Qualifying proved more challenging. David was first out of the pit lane and was unable to benefit from a tow around the high-speed Monza circuit, leaving him 10th in his qualifying group and with starting positions of 17th and 16th for the weekend's two races.

Knowing the result did not reflect the pace he and AIX Racing had shown in practice, David responded with two of his strongest drives of the season.

Starting 17th in Saturday's Sprint Race, he kept out of trouble during an action-packed opening phase before steadily working his way through the field.

David continued to make progress as the race developed, combining overtaking with a measured approach to the three DRS zones around the Monza lap.

He saved one of his best moves until last, passing Alessandro Giusti at the final corner on the final lap to secure fourth place and seven championship points.

"Honestly, I can't explain how good this weekend feels," said David. "To come back after the summer break, after working so hard, and get back-to-back P4s was such a good feeling.

"It was great to get P4 in the Sprint Race, but to do it in the Feature Race as well, with two last-lap, last-corner overtakes, made it even more special. It was so nice to be back at Monza and to have a result like this here is incredibly fulfilling."

Sunday provided an even bigger test, with David starting the Feature Race from 16th.

Once again he made his way towards the front, eventually reaching the fight for the leading positions. In the closing stages he passed Giusti at Parabolica to take fifth before setting his sights on Kanato Le ahead.

On the final lap, David attacked again and completed another decisive move at the final corner to take fourth place at the chequered flag.

The result earned him another 12 points and completed a remarkable pair of recovery drives: from 17th to fourth on Saturday and 16th to fourth on Sunday.

"We got unfortunate in qualifying," David explained. "We were the first ones out of the pit lane and didn't get the tow we needed for a good lap time. But we knew the pace was there from Free Practice, so we knew we'd been unlucky rather than lacking speed.

"There were obviously going to be doubts and fears after qualifying, but I stayed focused and determined. We kept our heads high, I put my foot down for the races and made sure I executed to the fullest. It paid off and I couldn't be prouder of what happened."

The Monza performance continued the progress David has made through his first FIA Formula 3 campaign.

After becoming the first Sri Lankan to compete in FIA Formula 3 at the start of the season, David showed increasingly competitive pace as the year developed, with Silverstone proving an important turning point.

A strong qualifying performance there put him on the front row for the Sprint Race, demonstrating the speed that had not always translated into results during the opening part of the season.

David believes the subsequent summer break allowed him to build on that progress while returning to competition mentally refreshed.

"Silverstone still feels like the breakthrough," he said. "We had some decent races after that, but by Budapest I felt I was reaching the end of my capacity after such an intense June and July.

"The momentum started at Silverstone, and having the summer break has allowed me to reset and boost that momentum into Monza. My mind is fresh again and I'm able to execute what I knew I always had."

That change was something David could feel from inside the car throughout the Monza weekend.

"I definitely felt a difference in myself this weekend," he added. "I've come back much fresher and I'm feeling the grip and the car more.

"When your mind is fresh, you're able to be more aware and take in more information. With that higher level of awareness, I was able to adapt and drive faster. The break really helped me reset and allowed me to come back and drive like this."

David's two fourth places delivered 19 points from the weekend, taking his season total to 34 and moving him to 15th in the FIA Formula 3 Drivers' Championship.

He now heads directly to Madrid for the final round of his rookie FIA Formula 3 season on 11-13 September, aiming to carry his Monza momentum into a circuit where he has already demonstrated competitive pace in testing.

Yevan David’s racing is supported by Lion Beer 0.0%, Maliban, Dimo Group, Nations Trust Bank, Fidem Asia and the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC).