FIAT Spanish Formula 3 Championship front-runner Will Bratt saw an opportunity to claim his first career F3 race win slip from his grasp at Spa-Francorchamps, but the 20-year-old still ended the weekend third in the driver standings.

Producing the fastest time in pre-event practice on Friday, securing his first F3 pole position on Saturday morning and then going on to record his maiden category podium later in the day at the Belgian venue, hopes were very high in the EmiliodeVillota.com Motorsport camp Bratt could challenge for victory during Sunday's fourth round.

Lining up fourth on the grid, Banbury-based Bratt made a superb getaway to quickly climb into second position and he soon started to pressurise race leader Bruno Mendez. Unfortunately, contact from Mendez as Bratt looked to the outside into the Bus Stop Chicane resulted in Bratt being forced off the track.

He recovered in 11th position and fought back into the top nine, but a battery failure then forced Bratt out of the race a couple of laps from the chequered flag.

Having led the championship following Saturday's third round of the 2008 FIAT Spanish F3 Championship campaign, the Oxford University undergraduate said he could not wait for the next two races, rounds five and six, which will take place at Albacete in Spain on June 28/29.