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Category: F3
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Jehan Daruwala takes a superb Feature race win at Monza: F2
MONZA (Italy), 11 Sept. 2022: India’s Jehan Daruvala raced to his fourth Formula 2 win in the championship’s main Feature race at Italy’s Monza race track here on Sunday.
The 23-year-old started sixth on the grid but used a mix of strategy, race craft and tyre management to capitalise on a safety car and red flag-interrupted race and clinched a comfortable win around the hallowed ‘Temple of Speed’.
The win was Jehan’s first this season. It comes after the Red Bull-backed racer went from fifth to third in Saturday’s Sprint race, making it two podiums from two races for Jehan this weekend and eight this year.
It was also his sixth top-three finish at Monza and second win at the track after the Indian won there last year.
“What a weekend,” said Jehan. “It’s been a long time coming. We’ve had the win taken away from us for one reason or another on more than one occasion this year. But we’ve kept our heads down, kept believing, kept pushing and we’ve finally done it.
“And what a venue to do it at, too! Monza is up there with one of my all-time favourite tracks and standing on the top step of this incredible podium, out over the main straight with the Indian National Anthem playing out, feels so, so special.”
Jehan made a good getaway, but starting on the dirty side of the grid got bogged down after the initial start.
Nevertheless, he kept sixth as the field went through the first chicane but lost a place to Juri Vips as he lifted in anticipation of a safety car after an opening-lap shunt involving Ralph Boschung and Theo Pourchaire.
The safety car wasn’t deployed until later, however, and Jehan was forced to defend from Jack Doohan on the run to the second Roggia chicane.
The pair went wheel-to-wheel in the braking zone with Logan Sargeant making it three-wide into the chicane. Doohan, with Jehan on the inside and Sargeant on the outside had nowhere to go and ended up colliding with Jehan.
The Red Bull-backed racer however suffered only minor damage and carried on as the safety car was finally deployed.
Racing resumed at the end of Lap 5 with Jehan running seventh. But a crash for Calan Williams at the Ascari chicane brought the safety car back out on Lap 8.
Jehan seized the opportunity to pit, with the perfectly timed stop eventually moving him up to third once his other rivals had pitted.
That left him perfectly placed to battle for the win as the red flag was deployed to allow track workers to clear away Williams’ stranded Trident and carry out repairs to the barriers.
The race resumed after a ten-minute stoppage. Jehan went on to put on a masterclass of tyre management and race craft as he bided his time at first before piling the pressure on to race leader Richard Verschoor and second-placed Marino Sato.
He passed Sato on Lap 18 of 30 and was hot on Verschoor’s heels. But the Trident racer, struggling with tyre wear, dived into pits with just five laps to go, handing Jehan a lead he would keep until the chequered flag.
“This weekend’s result couldn’t have come at a better time as we now head to Abu Dhabi for the season-finale,” added Jehan.
“The Yas Marina track is another venue I like and I won there last year. So going there on the back of a weekend like this one gives us a major boost.”
The Formula 2 championship, which acts as a support series for Formula One, will have the chance for a bit of a break as F1 embarks on its Asian and American swing.
The championship will return for it’s last and final round of the season on the Nov. 18-20th weekend alongside the Formula One season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Picture Credits – James Gasperotti
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Jehan Daruvala returns to F3 podium at Monza
Monza (Italy), 10 Sept. 2022: Indian racer Jehan Daruvala returned to the podium with a third-placed finish in the Formula 2 Sprint race at Italy’s historic Monza race track on Saturday.
The 23-year-old, who started fifth on the grid, crossed the line seven seconds behind winner Juri Vips and runner-up Frederik Vesti.
“It feels good to be back,” said Jehan, after taking his seventh top-three finish of the season.
“It’s been a tough few weeks before this. I feel alive again and it feels nice to be back at the front.”
Jehan’s podium, his fifth at Monza, was founded on a lightning start.
The Red Bull-backed driver went wheel-to-wheel with Logan Sargeant right off the line, with the pair going side-by-side in a heart-stopping battle all the way through the first chicane and the long, high-speed Curva Grande.
Jehan, on the inside, defended robustly going into the second chicane to come out ahead.
A brief safety car followed and while Jehan held his position at the restart, Sargeant slipstreamed past him soon after.
The Prema Racing driver, however, fought back, getting past the American racer and setting his sights on fellow Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa.
He made short work of Iwasa to move up to third and comfortably held on to the final podium spot to the end of the race.
“We had the pace once again to fight at the front and we showed what we could do,” Jehan added.
“We’re starting in a similar position for tomorrow and we can draw a lot of encouragement from the result today to aim for another strong finish tomorrow.”
Jehan now heads into Sunday’s main Feature race for which he will start sixth.
The young Indian has a strong record around the hallowed ‘Temple of Speed’, as Monza is known, and took his second Formula 2 win there last year.
With his Prema Racing team back on form for their home race Jehan has his sights set on making it two podiums from two races this weekend.
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Arjun Maini gets ready for 24-hours of Spa; Kush gears up for Budapest F3
Belgium/Hungary, 28 July 2022: Arjun and Kush Maini will once again be representing India on the world stage as the brothers get ready to compete in the 24 Hours of Spa and the FIA Formula 3 Championship respectively this weekend.
Arjun’s race will take place this weekend, July 29-31, at the historic Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Belgium with the 24-year-old racing his HRT Mercedes AMG GT3 in the car number 5 in the Gold-Cup category. The 24 Hours of Spa is considered the most important endurance event on the GT3 calendar with several prominent racers from around the world lining up on the grid.
Arjun will share his driving duties alongside HRT team owner Hubert Haupt as well as German driver Florian Scholze and Italian Gabriel Piana. There will be several prominent manufactures alongside Mercedes who will also be entering the event, with the likes of Audi, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini and Aston Martin on the grid as well.
“I’m excited to take part in my first ever 24 Hours of Spa,” Arjun Maini commented.
“To race at such a historic race circuit at such an iconic event is a real privilege and I’m hoping we as a team can secure a strong result.”
“The race won’t be easy and I’ll have to draw on all my DTM experience to make the most of the pace of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and while the format of the event is drastically different to the sprint races I’m used to, I’m still hoping I can leverage my familiarity with the car and the experience that I have from the 24 hours of Lemans to do the best job possible for the team.”
Kush who drives car number 12 on the other hand will compete at Budapest as FIA F3 Championship which reconvenes for the sixth round of the championship. Maini, who is backed by Mumbai Falcons, Omega Seiki and JK Racing, has displayed great pace in the series so far and has been unfortunate to not secure his first podium in the championship.
With 30 of the world’s best junior racers all vying for glory, competing in the F3 championship is no mean feat, with Maini aware of the challenges which lie ahead.
“While the end result maybe lacking, I’m confident in my ability to end the season strongly,” Kush Maini stated.
“The MP Motorsports team have done a great job so far of providing me with a car that is capable of racing at the front and with a bit more luck I’m sure we’d have secured a podium finish by now.”
“Nevertheless, it is important for me to keep pushing to ensure that result comes and I’m working as hard as ever to ensure I finish the season strongly.”
“I’m also grateful to the support I have received from my sponsors Omega Seiki and JK Racing and am Proud of my association with the Mumbai Falcons whose Livery is carried on my car from the Silverstone race onwards.”
Kush’s race in Budapest will take place on the final weekend of July, alongside F1 races between the 29-31and can be viewed live in India on the Star Sports Select 2 and HD channel.
Arjun’s Race on Saturday starts at 8 pm IST and can be seen Live at the https://www.gt-world-challenge-europe.com/ website.
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Mumbai Falcons extends support to Kush Maini’s F3 campaign
Silverstone, 1 July, 2022: The Mumbai Falcons announced their support to Indian racing star and formula driver Kush Maini as a title sponsor for the remainder of the six rounds 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship, that runs alongside Formula1. extending their long-standing partnership.
Mumbai Falcons extended their partnership with Maini, who was first drafted into the X1 Racing League in 2019, when Falcons was founded. The younger of the two Maini brothers, Kush’s good performance in the series prompted the Falcons to back him for the 2021 FIA Asian F3 Championship and their relationship has now expanded to the FIA F3 campaign in 2022.
Racing for the MP Motorsport team, Maini’s car will now carry the Mumbai Falcons livery which will also feature prominently on his suit and the helmet to signal a deeper partnership into the Future.
“I’m overjoyed to have extended my partnership with the Mumbai Falcons,” Maini said of the deal.
“My relationship with Mumbai Falcons goes back to 2019 and I am excited to continue it for the F3 season and it is a big step for me. The organisation has done an outstanding job of promoting motorsport in India, as well as overseas and I hope to play an important role in the sport’s development in the country through my results in F3 and beyond,” add Kush Maini.
“The FIA Formula 3 Championship is extremely competitive, with some of the world’s best drivers vying to impress the Formula 1 grid. But I intend to maximize the opportunities extended to me for the rest of the year.”
Mumbai Falcons owner Ameet Gadhoke also commented on the partnership, citing Maini’s raw speed, talent, and personality as the primary reasons for the extension. “We are delighted to see Indian talent budding in motorsport and see Kush as a contender presently to bring this sport into the mainstream in our nation. We wish him the best during his remaining season and anticipate he would move up the ranks quickly.”
The Mumbai Falcons, a subsidiary of the Gadhoke Group, were established in 2019 with the goal of promoting Indian motorsport talent. The group also intends to construct a world-class racing facility that will eventually provide aspiring drivers with the infrastructure they need to compete on a global scale.
The FIA Formula 3 Championship, which consists of 30 cars, is extremely competitive, with drivers from all over the world attempting to advance to Formula 1. The championship serves as a support race for nine different F1 Grand Prix weekends, and drivers such as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell have used the series as a stepping stone on their journey to F1.
The fourth round of the FIA F3 Championship will be held at the historic Silverstone race circuit on the weekend of July 1-3 and will be ‘Live’ for Indian audience on Star Sports Select 2, HD channels.
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Kush Maini, the lone Indian star in Formula 3
Kush Maini is the youngest of the Maini brothers from Bengaluru. He is one of the top three Formula drivers currently in India and is taking part in the FIA Formula 3 races. Here is the Formula 3 interview with the Indian star: Get to know MP Motorsport’s Kush Maini as he runs through his driving style, favourite track and who his pick is for racing hero.
NAME: Kush Maini DATE OF BIRTH: 22/09/2000 NATIONALITY: Indian 2022 TEAM: MP Motorsport
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
“I grew up in Bangalore, India, went to school there, but I moved to the UK quite early on for karting. Then I’ve also lived in Italy in Switzerland, so I’ve been about. The last four years, I’ve lived in the UK and that’s where I conduct all my training and I think it’s just an easier base than India even though I’d love to live at home. It’s just too far away.”
FIRST RACING MEMORY
“My first win in karts when I was 10 in the Indian National Championship.
“The fact that there were a lot of drivers older than me, Jehan (Daruvala) was racing in it. It was a good race to win. I had never won before that year and it was the last one, I just managed to win it. So that gave me confidence.”
RACING STYLE
“I would say aggressive. Of course it just depends on the situation. If it’s a track with a lot of high-speed corners, you want to go easy on the steering. Whereas if you take a race situation, you know if you’re starting second or third, you’ve got to be smart.”
RACING HEROES
“I would say for sure, (Ayrton) Senna, but to be a bit different – Jim Clark. I love the history and I think one of the reasons I like him is he never really went over the limit. He was always right on the edge. But when you look at his onboards or whatever, when drivers describe how he was so smooth and never really made any errors.
“So that’s just out of the car, his whole personality was just – you could be really good friends with him or you see some stills or pictures or videos of him where you’d be quite scared to race against him, so I really liked the way he was.”
BIGGEST RACING ACHIEVEMENT
“I would say my 2020 year in British Formula 3. We had a really good lead in the first half the season by like 60 points or something and it was looking good. Obviously I finished second but I think that year, we were the new team coming into the Championship and we really gave Carlin, which was one of the best in that Championship at the time, a run for their money. So I would say that year was quite good.”
BEST THING ABOUT BEING A RACING DRIVER
“I think the discipline it teaches you. I think it just improves you as a person. There’s a lot more structure in your life. The last few years when I’ve got really serious with the racing, I think my life structure has changed. I’m really focused on the training so I think it’s the qualities that it teaches you.”
FAVOURITE TRACK
“Silverstone – I drove there a lot in British F3 so I know it pretty well and I just love the atmosphere. And I get to sleep in my own bed.”
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Forgettable week-end for Kush Maini: F3
Barcelona, 22 May 2022: Indian F3 racer Kush Maini had a forgettable week-end finishing 25th while Victor Martins put the disappointment of an early retirement in Saturday’s Sprint Race behind him, and won with a dominant display, his second win of the Formula 3 season. The ART Grand Prix driver seized the lead into the opening corner and didn’t look back, controlling the pace despite two Safety Car restarts. The MP Motorsport driver from Bengaluru had a bad day and will be looking forward to make amends in the next round with a better car. He came in contact with Rafel Villagomez in the fag end losing his front wing following an excursion into the gravel and suffered a 10-second penalty for causing a collusion and saw a harsh end to his campaign in Spain.
Pole-sitter Roman Stanek put up a strong defence throughout to keep Isack Hadjar at bay for second. Alexander Smolyar brought home another solid haul of points in fourth, ahead of PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman and Jak Crawford.
Caio Collet survived a late charge from Franco Colapinto to finish seventh, as Kaylen Frederick hung on for ninth. Meanwhile, Juan Manuel Correa faced an action-packed three-way duel with Arthur Leclerc and Grégoire Saucy during the closing stages to snatch the final points-paying position in P10.
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Kush Maini looks to get better set-up for Saturday: F3
Barcelona, 20 May 2022: Bengaluru racing driver and only Indian in F3, Kush Maini finished 23rd among 30 drivers in the practice session on Friday. Maini, the MP team driver, did 11 laps and was just off 1.2 seconds off the pace and will be looking to get a better set-up for Saturday.
In the qualifying session later, Kush Maini stood 23rd.
Practice session report
For the second round in a row, ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins set the pace during Formula 3 Free Practice, clocking in a 1:32.796 to go fastest in Barcelona.
With cooler early morning temperatures, it was a somewhat leisurely start to running as the 30-car field turned their focus towards the end of the session.
Initially, the Carlin trio led the way with Williams Racing Academy driver Zak O’Sullivan setting a benchmark of 1:35.420, ahead of teammates Brad Benavides and Enzo Trulli.
15 minutes in and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Reece Ushijima leaped to the top of the timing sheets, becoming the first driver to break the 1:34s barrier. David Vidales then went quickest on home soil with a 1:33.932, narrowly ahead of Jenzer Motorsport’s Ido Cohen and his Campos Racing teammate Josep María Martí.
While track temperatures rose above 29°C, lap times continued to tumble. A flurry of action saw six drivers exchange the top spot, changing hands between the Trident trio of Oliver Rasmussen, Zane Maloney and then Roman Stanek with a 1:33.304.
Title contenders Arthur Leclerc and Victor Martins were nip-and-tuck on track with less than a tenth between them. The PREMA Racing driver went quickest, only for Championship leader Victor Martins to go 0.076s quicker.
Having completed in-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya a month ago, the drivers all set about finding the limits ahead of what’s expected to be a tight Qualifying session.
Both Rasmussen in the Trident and VAR’s Rafael Villagómez found themselves fighting a snap of oversteer at Turn 9, while Hitech Grand Prix’s Isack Hadjar brushed the gravel at the next corner and Leclerc suffered a heavy front lock-up.
Attentions turned from the timing sheets to the lap counts, as the top 10 remained virtually unchanged for the final 15 minutes of Practice.
Martins ended the session fastest, ahead of Leclerc. Stanek slotted into third, just over half a second behind the leading time.
Jak Crawford was fourth ahead of Imola Sprint Race winner Franco Colapinto and pole-sitter last time out Maloney. Oliver Bearman made it three PREMAs inside the top seven, ahead of Hitech’s Kaylen Frederick.
MP Motorsport’s Alexander Smolyar was ninth fastest, as Vidales put his Campos into 10th at the team’s home weekend.
Importantly, the top 12 were all within a second of the ART’s leading time, so be prepared for a intense battle for the two pole position points in Qualifying when the action returns on Friday at 3:30pm local time.
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Maini brothers Arjun and Kush get ready for week-end
Bengaluru, 20 May 2022: The Formula 1 race week-end beginning today will see three top Indian racers in action. While top star Jehan Daruvala, considered as the next top Indian to be ready for F1, and younger of the Maini brothers, Kush Maini will be racing in F2 and F3 competitions respectively.
Meanwhile, the eldest of the Bangalore-based brothers, Arjun Maini, who switched to GT racing last year, now competes in the DTM series. Entering his second season in the pan European championship, Arjun now races with team HRT in the #36 Mercedes-AMG. Last year Arjun told this reporter that F1 is no more his target as he switched focus to endurance racing, and he loves it as much as he did the other form of sport. “I have developed a passion for endurance racing and I am enjoying it,” he said at Meco Kartopia, on the sidelines of karting Nationals.
Kush is still working his way up to Formula 1 and now races in FIA Formula 3 in the #12 MP Motorsports car. The brothers will, for the first time in 2022, compete simultaneously this weekend with Arjun racing at the Lausitzring in Germany and Kush in Barcelona as a support race for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
The DTM Championship has changed significantly and features a record line up of 29 Drivers with iconic brands, such as Mercedes-AMG, Audi, BMW, Porsche, McLaren, Lamborghini and Ferrari, now locked in a seven-way championship battle for the Manufacturers’ title. The Competition in the series has gone up a few notches with the qualifying and racing action now closer than ever before as experienced at the first round at Portimão. The field is stacked with talent, with multiple World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb the latest in a long line of motorsport legends to try his hand in the series.
Despite finishing the season strongly with his first podium finish at the famed Norisring circuit, Arjun had a difficult start to the season in Portugal, but clearly found the pace in the second race where he made 12 positions after starting 25th.
“I am looking forward to racing at the Lausitzring again, especially because of the banked turn one corner,” Arjun commented ahead of the weekend.
“It makes the circuit very exciting and different and is a really distinctive feature for a European circuit. I was really quick here last year, but did not get the results I wanted. So, I want to make sure to get some decent results this year.
“We have been working hard since Portimão and I am confident that the team will provide me with a good car to fight for positions. Let’s see how it goes. I want to thank OSM (Omega Seiki Mobility) for supporting me for a second year.”
Kush meanwhile faces a completely different challenge in Barcelona. The younger of the two brothers spent a bulk of 2021 on the sidelines after two strong seasons in the BRDC Formula 3 Championship (now GB3) where he finished third and second in the championship respectively. Kush is now racing for MP Motorsport in the FIA F3 championship, where he faces the unenviable task of competing against 30 of the world’s best junior drivers while being scrutinized by several prominent F1 scouts.
Kush, who is currently 13th in the championship, will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother, who became India’s first GP3 Series (the forerunner to FIA F3) race winner at the same venue in 2017.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming weekend in Barcelona,” Kush said in the lead-up to his race in Spain.
“The Barcelona circuit is one of my favourites on the calendar, and I’m hoping to bring home some good points at the end of the weekend. We definitely have the pace to fight in the front, and with a little more luck, I believe we’d be higher up in the standings.
“Obviously, I’d like to emulate what Arjun did here, but for the time being, I’m keeping my head down and working with the team to maximize the car’s performance.”
“I want to thank JK racing and OSM (Omega Seiki Mobility) for all the support they have given me.”
Despite competing in vastly different championships and stages of their careers, the brothers appear to be united by a desire to compete against the world’s best drivers. One thing is certain: both drivers will give it their all this weekend!
While the DTM championship will be broadcast live on Eurosport, the FIA Formula 3 championship will be broadcast live on Star Sports Select HD2 in India.
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Kush Maini, salvages 16th after a pitlane start: F3 Feature race
Sakhir, 20 March 2022: Star Indian racer Kush Maini, was handicapped by his starting position and waded through the field from the back, to put in a brave performance overtaking 14 cars in 23 laps and finished 16 in the Feature Race of the first round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship here on Sunday.
Starting both the races in the first of the nine-round F3 championship, he had to wade through the back-benchers, and progressed ahead overtaking many a car with an outstanding performance but had to be content with 16th in his first Feature race for MP Motorsports team in the season opener as he was bogged down by the pit-lane start here on Sunday.
In a field of 30 cars, out of which only 26 finished the feature race, the former Indian National champion from Bengaluru, displayed good pace and race-craft to move ahead admirably. He had no seat time before he entered his big season in F3 this year. Kush, the junior of the Maini brothers, clocked 47min, 22.5secs for his 23 laps with a best lap of 1:52.301 which is just a fraction of a second off the winner’s best of 1:52.031. However, the best time of 1:51.634 was clocked by R Stanek of Trident.
Earlier, Kush Maini finished 15th in the Sprint race, also starting from the Pit Lane. He clocked 38:01.026 and missed to log points for his MP Motorsport team. Maini Jr, who qualified a creditable third had to start from pit lane in both the races due to a penalty but showed enough promise displaying quick pace. “After putting it P3 in my debut FIA F3 qualifying, unfortunately we will have to start both races from the pit lane after a harsh penalty. Pace is there going to do my best to make up as many positions as I can! Thank you for all the support,” Kush said after the Sprint race.
ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins took the glory in the opening Feature Race of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 season in Sakhir, beating PREMA Racing’s Arthur Leclerc to victory on Sunday.
Martins stayed patient throughout the opening stages of the race after starting from third on the grid, keeping close to the rear of rookie pole-sitter Franco Colapinto, who led a majority of the race. However, on lap 15, the more experienced Martins made his move for the lead.
Leclerc produced another strong recovery drive from 13th on the grid, advancing all the way up to second place by the chequered flag.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Colapinto crossed the line in third place, but was issued a five-second time penalty for violating track limits, which caused him to drop back to fifth while Gregoire Saucy inherited the final spot on the podium.
AS IT HAPPENED
Although he produced a surprise result in Qualifying with pole position, it was arguably going to be a taller task for Colapinto to hold onto the victory as he continues to acclimatise himself to his new F3 surroundings.
However, in the opening stages of the race, the Argentine looked comfortable out in front. He was forced to deal with a Safety Car restart, which was required after Francesco Pizzi and Zane Maloney came to a stop on the circuit on the opening lap. Pizzi was nudged by Maloney, who was dropping through the field due to a mechanical issue following the opening corners.
Caio Collet was also a victim of the first lap, as he broke his front suspension while driving over a kerb at Turn 7, having taken his car off the circuit to avoid potential contact between his rivals.
At the Safety Car restart, Martins overtook Roman Stanek for P2, but the Trident driver would soon be eliminated from contention after coming together with Alex Smolyar. Stanek suffered a puncture and was forced back to the pit lane for a new set of tyres.
A brief Virtual Safety Car was called on Lap 6 after Hitech Grand Prix’s Nazim Azman was spun around following contact. At the restart, Leclerc made swift work of Saturday race winner Isack Hadjar and Campos Racing’s David Vidales to place himself in the top five.
Further ahead, Juan Manuel Correa appeared to have rapid pace and he moved into the top three after overtaking Smolyar, with the latter also soon finding himself behind the charging Leclerc. There was then heartbreak for Hadjar, who suffered a puncture while battling Smolyar for fifth place.
Leclerc progressed into the top three after moving past Correa, while behind and outside the points, his two PREMA teammates Jak Crawford and Oliver Bearman began to make headways into the top 10, progressing through a stream of 15 or so cars that were separated by just a handful of seconds.
Having hounded Colapinto for several laps, Martins made the crucial overtake on Lap 15, and three laps later, the pole-sitter found himself in third as Leclerc moved ahead. Although Leclerc was able to slightly narrow the gap to Martins, he couldn’t cut it enough to challenge for victory in the final laps.
Bearman and Crawford continued to progress further into the top 10 and at the chequered flag, they found themselves sixth and seventh, respectively. Colapinto was demoted back to fifth due to his time penalty, with Saucy and Correa gaining a spot each to classify third and fourth.
Vidales was eighth, while Williams Alatalo scored his first points of the season in ninth. American Kaylen Frederick rounded out the top 10 to take the final point on offer.
Race winner Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) said: “What a race, P1 today. It’s a great comeback after yesterday’s race and zero points scored.
“The race was just mega, the overtakes, I went for it. I waited a bit of time behind Colapinto but in the end, I managed to take the win. I think it’s a good start to the season.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW
In the Drivers’ Championship, Martins is the leader of the standings after round one, sitting atop with 25 points. He’s one point ahead of Leclerc in second with 24, while Bearman is third on 17 points.
In the Teams’ Championship, ART Grand Prix come away from the opening round with the lead, sitting on 54 points. PREMA Racing is close behind on 47, while Hitech Grand Prix sits further back in third on 14 points.
WHAT’S NEXT?
F3 will return next month for the second round of the season in Imola from April 22 – 24. Like Bahrain, it will mark the first time the category has visited the circuit.
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Kush Maini gets upto speed quickly with a P3 for Feature Race: F3
Sakhir, 18 March 2022: Indian racing star Kush Maini got into speed at his first outing and did a creditable job taking P3 in the qualifying session for Sunday’s Feature Race even as Formula 3 newcomers Van Amersfoort Racing got their competitive debut in the category off to the best possible start on Friday, as Franco Colapinto took pole position with a lap time of 1:46.249.
When asked how pleased he was, just one-tenths off the pole time, Kush, the MP Motorsport driver said: Honestly really pleased. I think Free Practice we were struggling a bit, so we just made a few tweaks to the balance and it looked like it sorted itself out and I could do some consistent laps and I kept improving and improving. Considering I haven’t done a single-seater Qualifying in over a year, and coming in as a rookie, I’m pretty happy with third on the grid. Also, our race runs were strong in the test so I think the goal will be to try and get in front of these two.
The Bengaluru driver did not get much time in the car as he got into F3 hardly a month back. “Obviously, I missed the test because I had no idea until a couple of months ago I was even going to be in this Championship. Honestly, as a racing driver, you don’t really lose your instinct. With the help of my team, who have helped me every step of the way, and my teammates, who are a lot more experienced than me, I feel as good as I’ve ever felt,” he added
With the morning preparations in practice done and dusted, all the drivers headed out onto the field to set the grid orders for the first Sprint and Feature Races of the year in a 30-minute session.
After the opening run of laps, it was Grégoire Saucy who jumped to the head of the timesheet, placing himself just over one-tenth of a second in front of practice pace-setter Roman Staněk.
Most of the drivers returned to the pit lane as the session reached the halfway point, however, two remained on track to set their own laps – ART Grand Prix’s Juan Manuel Correa and MP Motorsport driver Alexander Smolyar. Correa climbed into third place, while Smolyar lowered the benchmark at the head of the field, going fastest by three-tenths of a second over Saucy.
With 10 minutes remaining, the rest of the drivers sprung out of the pit lane and set their minds on their final push lap. Colapinto, who appeared competitive in practice, delivered VAR its dream debut by moving to the head of the pack, where he wouldn’t be displaced.
Staněk came the closest to besting the Argentine, with his effort sitting just a mere six-hundredths of a second down. Meanwhile, Kush Maini produced an impressive final lap for MP Motorsport to go third.
With the Qualifying order setting the starting grid for Sunday’s Feature Race, Saturday’s Sprint Race starting order is decided by flipping the top 12 in Qualifying.
It means that Carlin’s Zak O’Sullivan will start on pole position on Saturday, with PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman alongside him for company on the front row after both drivers ended Qualifying in 12th and 11th respectively.
ART Grand Prix had all its drivers finish inside the top six, with Saucy, Victor Martins and Correa classifying fourth through sixth, ahead of Zane Maloney and Smolyar. Isack Hadjar and David Vidales rounded out the top 10.
The field of Formula 3 drivers will race for the first time this year on Saturday, with the Sprint Race getting underway at 12.45pm local time.
