Monza F3.5: Binder profits from safety car to win again

The Austrian pitted from third on Lap 5, just when Damiano Fioravanti retired in the gravel at the exit of the second Lesmo turn.

The incident brought out the safety car, and Binder inherited a 17-second lead when all the pitstops panned out.

While he gave up 10 seconds of that gap, Binder still comfortably cruised to the finish.

Roy Nissany was best of the rest in second, the Israeli driver taking the lead off the line after a sluggish start from pole-sitter Pietro Fittipaldi.

The Brazilian dropped to fourth after the opening few corners, but quickly fought back to second by passing Konstantin Tereshchenko and Binder.

He was two seconds behind Nissany when the safety car was deployed, and was still close after they pitted.

However, Yu Kanamaru managed to rejoin just between the duo. And while the Japanese driver was under pressure from Fittipaldi until the end of the race, it was Kanamaru claiming the final podium spot.

Konstantin Tereshchenko had to defend from Matevos Isaakyan for fifth throughout the race.

While Tereshchenko crossed the line in fifth, he was given a five-second penalty for an incident during which both drivers ran wide at Della Roggia, but the Teo Martin driver rejoined with a bigger advantage.

Isaakyan, as well as his AVF teammate Egor Orudzhev, were pulled into the pits before the start, prompting an extra formation lap.

While Isaakyan completed the race in sixth, Orudzhev withdrew at the time of Fioravanti's retirement in the pits.

Nelson Mason took seventh ahead of Giuseppe Cipriani, who was given a penalty for an "incorrect pitstop".

Fortec duo Alfonso Celis and Diego Menchaca both retired, the former spinning out after trying to pass Mason on the outside of Ascari.

Menchaca suffered a car failure before the formation lap.