2023 Rio Palito Grand Prix

2023 Rio Palito Grand Prix
Race details
Date	14 June 2023 (2023-06-14)
Official name	Formula Grand Prix de Rio Palito 2023
Location	Circuit de Beausoleil, San Beausoleil, Rio Palito
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	3.337 km (2.074 miles)
Distance	32 laps, 260.286 km (161.734 miles)
Scheduled distance	78 laps, 307.440 km (191.784 miles)
Weather	Sunny

The 2023 Rio Palito Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula Grand Prix de Rio Palito 2023) was a Formula motor race held on 14 June 2023 at the Circuit de Beausoleil, a street circuit that runs through San Beausoleil, Rio Palito. The principle race of Crown Formula, it was the 66th time the Rio Palito Grand Prix was held, with the 2022 race having been cancelled. It opened the 2023 Crown Formula World Championship. Saint Offeatean driver Morten Aandahl narrowly outpaced Zamastanian Arnaud Crozier to win the race.

Drivers

Qualifying classification

Pos.	No.	Driver	Country	Sponsor	Final grid
						1	2	Raymundo Ribeiro	Versenia	Petrovas	1
2	51	Arnaud Crozier	Zamastan	ZSuites & Foresster	2
3	12	Micael Dantas	Quetana	Quetana Airways	3
4	46	Albino Teixeira	Rio Palito	Penniete	4
5	4	Timothee Snowden	Zamastan	Pegassi	5
6	7	Bjoren Djurna	Caspiaa	Cavitale	6
7	9	Emann Belmontue	Shoassau	ShoassauAir	7
8	88	Parker Beste	Elbresia	Wrentley	8
9	13	Dmitry Manturov	Kossmil	KTC	9
10	44	Józef Kubica	Sprotavia	Wokulski Group	10
11	99	Hiroši Coyabaši	Zoygaria	Lumia	11
12	98	Boris Morozov	Kossmil	KTC	12
13	25	Harrison Thompson	Beatavic	Snelle Auto	13
14	16	Michael Bauer	BDDV	BMFW	14
15	72	Lukas Haag	Greater Normark	Northgas	15
16	80	Morten Aandahl	Saint Offeat	NWOOC	16
17	26	Davi Alves Ruis	Bentho	Bara	17
18	11	Drev Furaist	Denzal	Stabhardt	18
19	19	Erik Björnsson	Vœyetska	Laouron Energi	19
20	26	Édouard Bessette	Allieu	SyphonGas	20

Race

Race report

Prior to the race, some teams worried that the high temperatures may overheat the power unit or tyres. The race started at 15:00 local time and was contested over 78 laps. Versenian racer Raymundo Ribeiro maintained his first position into turn one, from Arnaud Crozier. Manturov jumped Harrison Thompson and attempted to challenge Crozier, but could not complete a move. Erik Björnsson and Lukas Haag collided at turn eight. Both were able to carry on initially, though Björnsson later retired due to damage received in the crash. Haag was given a five-second time penalty.

Crozier pitted on lap 16 to undercut Micael Dantas, but on lap 18, Dantas lost the rear end, due to driver error, spun and hit the tyre barrier. He could not reverse out and was forced to retire. The safety car was deployed, which allowed the majority of the field to pit. Harrison Thompson. was released into the path of Bjoren Djurna and the race officials determined it was an unsafe release and subsequently awarded Thompson a five-second time penalty. As the race restarted, Crozier kept first place, further back Édouard Bessette and Parker Beste collided. Both were able to carry on, and Beste was given a five-second time penalty.

On lap 41, Ribeiro overtook Crozier. Hiroši Coyabaši, who was behind Emann Belmontue, attempted an overtake in the braking zone of turn eight, where they made contact. Coyabaši was forced wide and kept the place from Belmontue. Coyabaši later pitted due to tyre concerns and was relegated to ninth (also serving his 5 second time penalty), fighting back up to fifth.

Albino Teixeira and Michael Bauer collided, contributing to both of their retirements later in the race, while Morozov, who had a power unit issue, pulled over on lap 49, which brought out the virtual safety car (VSC). Once his car was recovered, the VSC ended and Józef Kubica immediately got past Morozov; Morozov said that he was slow at the restart, as he expected the race to resume earlier, and could not react in time to the delayed restart, which allowed Morten Aandahl to speed ahead of the battling Crozier and Ribeiro. Ruis and Furaist also capitalized on a spinout by Snowden and Thompson's collision to place closely behind the leaders.

Morten Aandahl won the race, with Crozier in second and Drev Furaist, in third. Davi Alves Ruis finished fourth and Ribeiro was fifth. Józef Kubica finished sixth.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Country	Sponsor	Final grid
						1	2	Raymundo Ribeiro	Versenia	Petrovas	5
2	51	Arnaud Crozier	Zamastan	ZSuites & Foresster	2
3	12	Micael Dantas	Quetana	Quetana Airways	DNF
4	46	Albino Teixeira	Rio Palito	Penniete	DNF
5	4	Timothee Snowden	Zamastan	Pegassi	13
6	7	Bjoren Djurna	Caspiaa	Cavitale	14
7	9	Emann Belmontue	Shoassau	ShoassauAir	8
8	88	Parker Beste	Elbresia	Wrentley	15
9	13	Dmitry Manturov	Kossmil	KTC	7
10	44	Józef Kubica	Sprotavia	Wokulski Group	6
11	99	Hiroši Coyabaši	Zoygaria	Lumia	9
12	98	Boris Morozov	Kossmil	KTC	DNF
13	25	Harrison Thompson	Beatavic	Snell Auto	12
14	16	Michael Bauer	BDDV	BMFW	DNF
15	72	Lukas Haag	Greater Normark	Northgas	10
16	80	Morten Aandahl	Saint Offeat	NWOOC	1
17	26	Davi Alves Ruis	Bentho	Bara	14
18	11	Drev Furaist	Denzal	Stabhardt	3
19	19	Erik Björnsson	Vœyetska	Laouron Energi	DNF
20	26	Édouard Bessette	Allieu	SyphonGas	11