Formula 1: Zachary Fitzwater crashes out early at Magny-Cours; picks up the 8th last-place finish of his SCRL career

Zachary Fitzwater picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Red Bull Formula One Series career in the Season 2 Grand Prix of France at the Circuit de Nevers - Magny-Cours when his #88 Manor Racing was involved in a multi-car crash after 1 of the 10 laps.

The finish came in his 10th career start. In the SCRL Red Bull Formula One Series, it's the 1st for car #38 and the 16th from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 14th for the #88 and the 238th from a crash. Fitzwater is one of the most longest active drivers in the history of the SCRL, having picked up 11 career wins and scoring two SCRL Championships, in the Season 3 of the SCRL Rainbow Dash Truck Series and in Season 7 of the IROC Series, but had never competed in the Formula Series of the SCRL, choosing to finally make that move over to the open wheel world. Fitzwater finished 18th in his debut in the wreckfest at Melbourne, 3rd at Bahrain, 9th at Hockenheimring, 5th at Zandvoort, 4th at CTMP, 2nd at Monza, 7th at Shanghai, 8th at Monaco before finishing 11th in the last round at Silverstone.

On race day, Fitzwater rolled off starting in the final spot a position he wouldn't hold for long as Shanghai last-place finisher the #11 Sahara Force India F1 Team of Trey Wright and the #9 Sauber F1 Team of Carter Frisen spun out in Turn 3, bringing out the event's first caution. Further up the track as drivers entered Turn 5, a pileup started with Fitzwater having nowhere to go and slamming into the back of the #19 Williams Martini Racing of Patrick Smith. Fitzwater would limp back to the pits, crossing the start/finish line to complete a lap before pulling behind the wall, done for the day, while Smith would make one more circuit before he too pulled behind the wall.

Finishing 20th was the #14 McLaren-Honda F1 Team of Rodger McLaughlin, who would also find trouble in Turn 3, while leading he went wide and crashed hard into the tire barrier, ending his day.

Rounding out the Bottom Five were drivers who also would find trouble two laps later: 19th was the #3 Red Bull Racing of Marcus Saatchi and 18th was the #55 Scuderia Toro Rosso of Tanner Hill, who both would crash in the same Turn 3, ending both their day on Lap 6.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #88 had finished last in a Formula One race as well at Magny-Cours.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
22) #88-Zachary Fitzwater / 1 lap / crash
21) #19-Patrick Smith / 2 laps / crash
20) #14-Rodger McLaughlin / 4 laps / crash
19) #3-Marcus Saatchi / 6 laps / crash led 2 laps
18) #55-Tanner Hill / 6 laps / crash