Alpine Academy driver, Kush Maini will expand his role with the team in 2025 by becoming Test and Reserve Driver, with the Indian racer set to take on the additional duties alongside competing in Formula 2 with DAMS.
Maini first joined the Alpine Academy in October 2023 before going on to race in the 2024 F2 season, during which he scored five podiums including a race win in Budapest.
As he enters into his third Formula 2 campaign, Maini will also take on the position of Test and Reserve Driver for the Alpine F1 Team.
As part of his role, the 24 year old will use the driver-in-loop simulator at the squad’s Enstone base to support their car development and set up objectives as well as participating in the TPC programme (Testing of Previous Cars) to continue to improve his skills.
Maini joins a pool of reserve drivers at Alpine that also includes Paul Aron, Ryo Hirakawa and former Williams super-sub Franco Colapinto.
I am delighted to step up to the role of Test and Reserve Driver for BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team this season. Since joining the Alpine Academy ahead of last year, I have been incredibly welcomed in the entire Alpine family and I am thankful to Flavio [Briatore] and Oliver [Oakes] for their continued support. I am looking forward to getting more track time in Formula 1 machinery in this role and to build on what I have already learned with the team in 2024. I’m very excited to begin the role as soon as possible but for now my focus is on my third season in Formula 2 kicking off this weekend in Australia. Maini on the news.
We are very happy to announce the expansion of Kush’s role in the Alpine Academy to include Test and Reserve Driver duties for the team this season. Kush has impressed the team across his TPC performances and Formula 2 results whilst we have been working with him and we expect he will continue to do so in 2025. His wider role allows us to further expand our pool of driving talent who can provide support and resources to the whole team during the busy season. Julian Rouse, Alpine Academy Director.
Victor Martins will return to the FIA Formula 2 grid with ART Grand Prix for the 2025 campaign, filling the final spot on the F2 grid this year.
The French driver will be taking part in his third season in the Championship after securing one win, finishing as the top rookie in 2023 in fifth position, and helping the team claim the Teams’ Championship. His second season then resulted in another victory en route to seventh in the Standings.
He will now partner new teammate Ritomo Miyata. Speaking about his confirmation with ART, Martins said that he was happy to be back with the team he secured the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup and 2022 FIA Formula 3 titles with.
I’m very excited to continue the adventure with ART Grand Prix in 2025. We share a common goal: doing everything we can to win the title. I’m surrounded by the best people to achieve my ultimate dream—Formula 1. This winter, we worked extensively on all the areas we needed to improve from 2024, and now we’re ready to turn those efforts into results on track. The season is starting, and it’s time to focus on testing in Barcelona. Martins on the news.
Continuing with Victor in 2025 was an obvious choice. We have a long history together, marked by successes and challenges overcome as a team. He has proven he has the speed and talent to compete at the front in Formula 2. This season needs to be the one where everything comes together, and we will do everything we can to help him achieve his goals. Sebastien Philippe, Team Principal.
Gabriele Mini will step up to FIA Formula 2 in 2025 with PREMA Racing the Italian outfit have confirmed.
The Alpine Academy driver finished as runner-up in this seasons’ FIA F3 campaign, taking one win and four podiums across the season.
Mini has already driven in Formula 2 for PREMA, as he deputised for Oliver Bearman earlier in the year for Round 12 in Baku, He was able to secure a podium finish in the Sprint Race, ending up third on the rostrum.
Earlier in his career, Mini race with PREMA in Italian Formula 4 back in 2021 before reuniting with the team in F3 in 2024 after two seasons away.
The 19 year old is a member of the Alpine Academy and has been since the beginning of 2023. He also took part in the rookie test in Formula E with Nissan Formula E Team.
Very happy to be joining PREMA in FIA F2 and to keep working together for another season. We showed excellent potential and speed throughout the whole year in Formula 3. After the great run at Baku, I hope we will keep working that way to try and fight at the front end of the championship again. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I want to thank All Road Management, Alpine, and everyone involved. Mini on the news.
We are thrilled to continue working with Gabriele. We always kept him in very high regard, and after getting back with him for FIA F3, we are already looking forward to making the next step together. Having an early start was a great opportunity for both, especially because we have maximized it with some impressive results. Preparations for the year ahead have already started and the early signs are definitely promising. Rene Rosin, PREMA Team Principal.
DAMS Lucas Oil has confirmed their second driver for the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season with Nicola Lacorte joining the team.
The Alpine Academy driver joins the French team for what will be his rookie campaign after competing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2024.
Lacorte also raced in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship this season, where he secured a race victory and podium finish.
Prior to that, the 17 year old raced in the Euro 4 and Italian F4 Championships. He is the second confirmed driver at DAMS after Matias Zagazeta’s signing was announced.
Speaking about joining DAMS, Lacorte said that he was looking to take what he’d learned in FRECA and apply it to F3 next year.
I’m delighted to sign for DAMS Lucas Oil for next season, considering their great history in Formula 2. I’ve learnt a lot from my experiences of 30 car grids in FRECA this year, which will be important with a similar size field in F3. My goal for the campaign is to maximise my performance and look to score points whenever possible. Lacorte on the news.
It’s great to have Nicola on board for 2025 following the tests in Jerez and Barcelona earlier this month. We’re looking forward to seeing him develop throughout the campaign. With the team’s proven methods in other series, we’re aiming to help one another to achieve great results. Charles Pic, DAMS Team Owner.
PREMA Racing have confirmed that Gabriele Mini will replace Oliver Bearman for Round 12 of the FIA Formula 2 season. It will mark the Italian’s F2 debut.
Mini finished the 2024 Formula 3 campaign second in the standings with PREMA after narrowly missing out on the Drivers’ Championship to compatriot Leonardo Fornaroli.
He secured a race victory in the Monte Carlo Feature Race along with a further four podium finishes en route to P2 in the Standings.
The Alpine Academy driver said that he was looking forward to learning as much as possible about the car and the Championship across the weekend in Azerbaijan.
The 19 year old is expected to step up to an F2 seat next season, likely with Prema given both Mercedes-bound Antonelli and Bearman with Haas are both graduating to F1 for 2025.
He knows Prema very well as he competed for the team in the Italian F4 and ADAC F4 championship in 2020, before he went on to link up with Hitech and ART as he competed in Formula Regional competitions.
He then continued on with Hitech for his maiden F3 season last year, but rejoined Prema for the Macau Grand Prix, a relationship which continued into the recently ended F3 season.
Very happy to be joining PREMA Racing for the FIA Formula 2 event at Baku. We had a strong season in 2024, and we have been fighting for the title until the last corner. Formula 2 is the main option for 2024 so it’s also very important to join early at Baku. It’s a good opportunity for me to learn with the new car and series. Mini on the news.
We cannot wait to see Gabriele make his FIA Formula 2 debut. It’s very rewarding to see him graduate to the top junior single-seater series after making his very first steps with our team back in 2020. It will be a useful opportunity for both him and the team. On the other hand, we want to wish Ollie the best in his second Formula 1 start and we look forward to having him back for the final part of the year. Rene Rosin, PREMA Racing Team Principal.
Pole sitter Beganovic covered off Bedrin on the run to Turn 1 but the AIX driver was undeterred and rounded the Swede at Turn 2 to take the lead away. Inthraphuvasak followed in third position ahead of Callum Voisin and Christian Mansell.
The ART Grand Prix driver was under attack though on lap 2 from Tim Tramnitz and his MP Motorsport rival repeated the move of Bedrin into Turn 3 to take P5 from the Australian.
The Virtual Safety Car was then deployed to neutralise the race in order to recover Matias Zagazeta’s car after contact on the opening lap left him on the sidelines.
Back to racing conditions and the top four were covered by less than a second in the lead battle. As the quartet fought, Tramnitz and Mansell joined the train after the opening exchanges, getting to within DRS range by Lap 6.
Onto lap 10 and Beganovic made a late move on Bedrin into Turn 2 but caught the grass on the inside of the corner in the process. It sent his PREMA car sideways and while he was able to catch the slide, it dropped him down to third.
Into the Turn 6 and 7 chicane, Tramnitz squeezed his way alongside Voisin, who skipped across the chicane to keep hold of fourth. The Rodin Motorsport driver was told to concede the place to Tramnitz, seeing off any potential review. One lap later, and Mansell was through on the Brit at Turn 1 for fifth.
Out in front though, Bedrin was in full control after resisting the pressure of Beganovic and crossed the line to earn his first FIA F3 victory, leading home an AIX Racing 1-2 ahead of Inthraphuvasak, a result that means all teams have now stood on the podium in 2024.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bedrin, P2: Inthraphuvasak, P3: Beganovic, P4: Tramnitz, P5: Mansell, P6: Voisin, P7: Fornaroli, P8: Browning, P9: Van Hoepen and P10: Meguetounif.
Day 3-
Van Hoepen got wheelspin in the second phase of the start and had to defend hard from his teammate Tsolov off the line. The Dutch driver ran deep at Turn 1, allowing the Bulgarian through along with VAR’s Noel Leon.
With DRS enabled, Van Hoepen began to close in on Tsolov and was within half a second on lap 3, while Leon dropped to beyond a second back from the ART duo.
Christian Mansell moved his ART up to fifth with a late dive to the inside of Santiago Ramos at Turn 1 on lap 4.
As the opening laps ticked by, Van Hoepen radioed into his team to relay his tyres were beginning to overheat in the wake of teammate Tsolov.
By the midway point of the race, the top six were covered by four seconds with Santiago Ramos some 9.6s clear of Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin who was running in P7.
In the fight for the final points places, Oliver Goethe pulled off a late dive to pass Dino Beganovic and secure himself ninth position, while behind Gabriele Mini cleared Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak to move up into 11th.
Into the final three laps and after a phase of tyre management, van Hoepen began to apply the pressure on Tsolov once again in the lead fight.
Boya’s battle with Mini resumed and the Spaniard found a gap at Turn 2 to take 11th position. Contact between Arvid Lindblad and Matias Zagazeta resulted in a late-race Safety Car on Lap 21, with the PREMA driver stopped at Turn 4.
With little time to clear both cars, it was not possible to resumed racing in time for a final lap shootout. Tsolov took his third race win of 2024 and his first F3 Feature Race victory.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Van Hoepen, P3: Leon, P4: Fornaroli, P5: Mansell, P6: Ramos, P7: Voisin, P8: Bedrin, P9: Goethe and P10: Beganovic.
Alpine have confirmed that Jack Doohan will make his second FP1 outing of the Formula 1 season at the British Grand Prix weekend.
Doohan previously drove Esteban Ocon’s A524 in FP1 in Canada, but was only able to complete three laps – without setting a time – due to the wet weather seen in Montreal that day. But the Australian will get a second chance behind the wheel – this time Pierre Gasly’s car – during FP1 at Silverstone.
A former FIA Formula 3 runner-up and the third-placed driver in last year’s F2 standings, with the 21 year old continuing to push for a drive with Alpine on next year’s F1 grid.
The team currently have one seat vacant for 2025 following the confirmation, in the run-up to the Austrian Grand Prix that Pierre Gasly has committed his future to the team with a new multi-year extension. With Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz still to decide on his future, and Alpine reported to be interested in securing his services, Doohan’s Silverstone opportunity gives him another chance show his talent.
In addition to his FP1 outings and simulator duties at Enstone, Doohan – son of former 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick – has also completed several test sessions with Alpine over the last couple of years in his quest to become a full time member of the F1 grid.
Pole sitter, Stenshorne tried to cover off Mansell from lights out but the Australian was able to get alongside him into Turn 1 to take the lead. The Hitech driver tried a re-pass into Turn 3 but was left running off the track, giving Tsolov momentum to take second position into Turn 4, making it an ART 1-2.
Dino Beganovic was a spinner at Turn 1 falling from inside the top 10 down to 25th. Kacper Sztuka was an early retirement and was stranded on the circuit which required the Safety Car to neutralise things.
Racing then resumed on lap 5 and Mansell was able to retain the advantage in front. Luke Browning was on the move after his grip penalty left him from starting 15th, going three-wide into Turn 4 to pass Nikita Bedrin and Arvid Lindblad to move into 11th.
With DRS, Tsolov was able to get alongside Mansell into Turn 4 and rounded the Australian on the outside to take the lead on lap 7.
Browning moved himself into the points-paying positions at the expense of Tim Tramnitz, moving down the inside at Turn 3 on lap 10 to secure 10th from the MP driver.
Lap 12, and Fornaroli put a brave move on Bedrin to move up to 14th, passing the AIX Racing driver around the outside of Turn 6.
Lap 16, was a busy one as Montoya looked to make a move on Alex Dunne at Turn 1, but the MP driver resisted the pressure to hold onto the position.
Up further ahead, Mansell got a move at Turn 4 to stick on Tsolov, able to take the lead from his ART teammate and remain ahead. Gabriele Mini got brave and rounded Oliver Goethe on the outside at Turn 6 to secure sixth position.
Contact with Trident’s Sami Meguetounif at the end of the lap for Lindblad left the PREMA Racing rookie with a puncture and dropped him out of the points fight.
On lap 17, the fight for the lead continued with Tsolov getting back through on Mansell at Turn 4, a slow corner exit for the Australian allowed Stenshorne a run through Turn 5, putting the Norwegian up to second.
The fight for the top five places continued just behind the trio but after a heated battle Montoya made contact with Dunne and was left spinning at Turn 4. The Colombian driver out of his car and ok, but the crash required another Safety Car.
The Safety Car was withdrawn with one lap to go, setting up a final lap sprint to the finish. Tsolov got the restart he needed to put some distance between himself and Stenshorne, and the Bulgarian earned his second sprint race victory of the year ahead of the Hitech driver.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Stenshorne, P3: Mansell, P4: Dunne, P5: Van Hoepen, P6: Mini, P7: Goethe, P8: Tramnitz, P9: Leon and P10: Meguetounif.
Day 3-
Browning launched into a clear lead at the first corner while PREMA Racing teammates Lindblad, Mini and Beganovic followed in second through to fourth as Tim Tramnitz dropped down to seventh. Lindblad and Mini battled on the exit of Turn 4 which allowed Beganovic the run into Turn 6 to take third from the Italian.
That became second for the Swede on lap 2, as he dived down the inside of his teammate into Turn 3. Noel Leon was on the move too further back, taking sixth from Sebastian Montoya as he continued his charge from 13th.
Lindblad was dropping through the pack on lap 8 after brief contact with Alex Dunne into Turn 3 as the MP Motorsport driver passed Goethe. Leon, Dunne and Goethe were able to clear the Brit on the run to Turn 4 to relegate the Red Bull Junior Team driver to seventh.
Contact at Turn 3 between Mari Boya in the Campos and AIX Racing’s Nikita Bedrin brought out a Virtual Safety Cat on lap 11 while marshals retrieved the latter’s car.
Back to racing conditions and Goethe was on the attack against Leon for fourth. The slightest of touches resulted in a puncture for the Van Amersfoort Racing driver, ending his charge through the pack and tumbling down the order.
10 laps to go, everyone behind leader, Browning had DRS down to ninth-placed Tramnitz as the fight for points ebbed and flowed.
Christian Mansell made his way into sixth position with a pass around the outside of Lindblad at Turn 4 on lap 19. That became fourth for the Australian with five laps to go, diving down the inside of Goethe at Turn 4.
Mini made an attempt on Beganovic for second at Turn 3 on the following lap, but it was Mansell that went surging around the outside of the Italian at the following corner to take third. That was until Mini pulled off his own audacious pass to re-take P3 at Turn 6.
Onto the penultimate lap and the battling behind allowed Browning to break out of DRS range to Beganovic, who was under attack from teammate Mini at Turn 4, with the Alpine Academy driver securing second a Turn 6.
The full top 10 are- P1: Browning, P2: Mini, P3: Beganovic, P4: Mansell, P5: Goethe, P6: Tsolov, P7: Lindblad, P8: Vans Hoepen, P9: Fornaroli and P10: Dunne.
Alpine have announced that reserve driver, Jack Doohan will take Esteban Ocon’s place during Friday’s opening free practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Under the sport’s current regulations, each F1 team must run a rookie in two FP1 sessions each campaign.
Doohan has made four practice appearances as an Alpine junior so far, getting his first experiences in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2022 and making further outings at the same venues in 2023.
A former FIA Formula 3 runner-up and the third-placed driver in last year’s F2 standings, the Australian’s latest run comes as he pushes to secure a full-time seat with Alpine.
Alpine announced on the eve of this weekend’s Montreal event that they will part ways with Esteban Ocon at the end of the current campaign, ending a five-year collaboration. It means that at least one seat is available at the Renault-backed operation for next season, with incumbent Pierre Gasly’s place beyond 2024 yet to be confirmed.
In addition to his four FP1 outings, and simulator duties at Enstone, Doohan has completed several test sessions with Alpine over the last couple of years – the latest coming in their 2022-spec A522 at Zandvoort last month.
Really excited to get out on track in Montreal for FP1. It will be my first time driving at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which I am looking forward to. I am grateful to the team for the opportunity to get more track time, and also familiarise myself with 2024 machinery early in the season. This will also help with the work I am doing in the simulator, particularly at the European rounds. My focus will be on doing the best for the team and maximising the session for both drivers, looking at certain test items and understanding the new track surface. Doohan on the news.
Drivers’ Standings leader Abbi Pulling ran the show in Qualifying, going from strength to strength to secure both F1 Academy pole positions on offer in Miami.
Her hold onto P1 was unrelenting, with a time of 1:58.507 in the final minutes of the session putting her over five tenths clear of Doriane Pin and Hamda Al Qubaisi. The Alpine driver will have different company for race 2, as Bianca Bustamante’s consistency was rewarded for P2, four tenths off, ahead of Pin in third.
With only 30 minutes on the clock, there was not a lot of time to lose as the field flooded out as the lights went green. Having set the pace in Free Practice 2, laid down the initial benchmark at 1:59.882.
Ferrari’s Maya Weug took over the top spot heading into the halfway mark, going 0.024s faster than Pulling’s latest attempt.
Benefitting from the track evolution, Bustamante pushed on, deposing Pulling momentarily with a 1:59.122, whilst Pin moved inside the top three. Pulling immediately responded with a 1:58.714.
As Pin improved to just over three tenths off, one flying lap solidified Pulling’s place at the top of the timing sheets, where she broke 0.574s clear of the Mercedes driver.
Hamda Al Qubaisi’s late burst of pace elevated her to third for Race 1 ahead of McLaren driver Bustamante.
The full top 10 for race 1 are- P1: Pulling, P2: Pin, P3: Hamda Al Qubaisi, P4: Bustamante, P5: Weug, P6: Marti, P7: Chambers, P8: Nobels, P9: Hausmann and P10: Lovinfosse.
The full top 10 for race 2 are- P1: Pulling, P2: Bustamante, P3: Pin, P4: Hamda Al Qubaisi, P5: Marti, P6: Weug, P7: Nobels, P8: Chambers, P9: Edgar and P10: Hausmann.
Race 1-
Controlling the race from pole, the Alpine driver led every lap and never looked back, taking the chequered flag with a 5 second advantage over second-placed Doriane Pin. Chloe Chamber gave her home crowd something to celebrate, battling hard to go from P7 to her first podium in the series.
Acing her getaway at lights out, Pulling kept Pin at bay into Turn 1 and immediately set out creating a 1 second buffer to the Mercedes driver in the space of a lap.
At the tail end of the top 10, Tina Hausmann’s race came to an early end after contact with Aurelia Nobels sent the Aston Martin driver off into the wall at Turn 8. Nobels would later be handed a 10-second penalty for the incident.
A three car battle for fourth saw Weug forced to go on the defensive heading into lap 3, as Nerea Marti attempted to move around the outside of Turn 1. Just behind, Chambers sat patiently, waiting to pounce when the opportunity arrived one lap later.
Marti found her way past Weug on lap 6, but a mistake undid all her work and allowed the Ferrari driver and Nobels to slip through momentarily.
Bustamante continued to make up lost ground, diving to the inside of the final corner with a move on Amna Al Qubaisi. Going side-by-side with RB driver, Bustamante managed to eke out ahead, but received a 5 second penalty for going off track and gaining an advantage a few laps earlier.
Out front, Pulling’s mirrors were clear as she crossed the line to win by 5.2s to Pin and Chambers. The full top 10 are- P1: Pulling, P2: Pin, P3: Chambers, P4: Marti, P5: H Qubaisi, P6: Weug, P7: Edgar, P8: A Qubaisi, P9: Bustamante and P10: Lovinfosse.
Day 2- Race 2-
Abbi Pulling made it two for two as she brought home her second win on the streets of Miami. Bianca Bustamante righted her wrongs from Race 1, fending off a late push from Doriane Pin to earn her first podium for McLaren in second.
Pole sitter Pulling was instantly on the defensive from Bustamante as the lights went green, locking up slightly into Turn 1, managing to outbreak the ART car, she managed to hold the lead.
Chambers was once again on a charge after her race 1 podium. A storming start from P8 for the Haas driver saw her slide past Aurelia Nobels, Nerea Marti and Maya Weug in turn through the opening corners and moved to fifth.
Behind her, Tina Hausmann found herself out on the opening lap for the second race in a row. Locking up into Turn 1, Lola Lovinfosse tagged the Aston Martin car ahead, forcing her to retire with a puncture. Lovinfosse later received a 10 second time penalty.
On lap 5, Weug dispatched the Hamda Al Qubaisi, but found her mirrors full of a train of cars behind from P6 to P13. Two laps later, Lovinfosse gambled on another move as Nobels left the door open, with the two running side-by-side.
Bustamante’s hold over P2 had a momentary scare, as Pin closed right in on her tail. However, the Filipina racer kept up her pace to break the slipstream advantage to the Mercedes driver behind.
At the tail end of the top 10, Block hunted down her first points of her F1 Academy campaign. Eyeing a move on Carrie Schreiner in 10th, the Williams went in too deep, allowing Emely De Heus to capitalise and overtake the American driver.
Jessica Edgar was on the march as she overtook Marti for seventh. However, the Spainard wasn’t giving up, diving up the inside of Turn 1 but she overshot the corner and allowing the American Express driver to cutback through. However, Edgar’s race unravelled a few corners later, losing the rear through Turns 6 and 7 and spinning wide over the runoff.
Completing her 27th tour of the Miami circuit, Pulling brought home a comfortable second win of the season. The full top 10 are- P1: Pulling, P2: Bustamante, P3: Pin, P4: Chambers, P5: Weug, P6: H Qubaisi, P7: Marti, P8: A Qubaisi, P9: Schreiner and P10: Block.
Now we have a little wait till the next round, which is Round 3 and we head to Barcelona on the 21st to 23rd of June.
Nikola Tsolov will continue with ART Grand Prix this year, completing the 2024 Formula 3 grid. The Bulgarian driver will be racing in his second season in the Championship.
Tsolov finished his rookie campaign 22nd in the Drivers’ Standings, earning two points finishes in the second half of the season. He also became apart of the Alpine Academy last year in February, after he was an Affiliate in March 2022.
Prior to joining Formula 3, the 17 year old was victorious in Spanish F4, where he won the 2022 Championship with a dominant campaign. He accumulated a record 400 points, taking 13 race wins and a further five podium finishes en route to the title.
Not only this, he has had stints in Formula Regional Middle East Championship, Macau Grand Prix and Eurocup-3.
I feel very much at home at ART Grand Prix, which is one of the greatest teams ever, so it’s a pleasure to continue with them for a second year in F3. I know the team, the circuits, the procedures and, apart from the tyres, I won’t have to learn anything new. Winter testing showed that we were consistently at the top of the timesheets, and the main target will be to be at the front at every race weekend.
Tsolov on the news.
Niko has had to take a giant step forward coming from Spanish F4 and, despite the difficulties faced by the team in 2023, his determination and focus have only strengthened. The raw results haven’t been there, but we’ve seen Niko’s formidable talent grow throughout the season and the entire team is looking forward to getting off to a good start in 2024 so we can deliver results together in line with our ambitions and our work.
ART Grand Prix have announced that they have retained Victor Martins for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season, with the Alpine Academy driver set to continue with the French outfit for a third consecutive campaign.
Martins’ relationship with ART extends back to 2020 and has proven a successful one with the Frenchman having won his first championship with the team in the Formula Renault Eurocup that year – where he won seven races to go along with 14 podiums that season.
He reunited with the team in 2022 for his second campaign in FIA Formula 3, and enjoyed a successful year as he became ART’s first F3 champion in the modern era after coming out on top in a tight championship battle.
Martins now returns for a second F2 season, after enjoying a stellar first season in 2023, which saw him earn the prize of the best rookie, having scored 10 podiums including one victory at Silverstone.
This now fills out ART’s line-up for the year with the French team having previously announced that last year’s F3 runner-up Zak O’Sullivan for 2024.
Together with ART Grand Prix, we have a mutual past that is made up of passion and success. One which has seen the crowning of several titles, I hope to add another in 2024, a decisive season for my development. But I will not have my eyes solely focused on the standings: I want to correct mistakes from last year, manage the championship over time and always strive to obtain the best possible result, whether the circumstances are favourable or complicated. There is no shortage of serious competitors in this discipline. There is also an element of unknowns with a new car, but I trust ART Grand Prix to make the most out of it. The team supplies me with all the support I need, just like Alpine, and I am holding all the cards I need to achieve my objectives.
Martins on the news.
The collaboration between ART Grand Prix and Victor dates back to 2020 when he was successfully crowned the Formula Renault champion. We did a good job and have grown together since then. Therefore, I didn’t envisage not continuing our adventure with him. His first year in Formula 2 was very good and very informative. It allowed him to constantly fight for pole positions and victories. In 2024, our common objective will logically be to erase any small mistakes from last season and win the title.
Abbi Pulling is returning for her sophomore F1 Academy season next year, with Alpine announcing that their Academy driver will be continuing to race with Rodin Carlin.
In the series’ inaugural season, Pulling brought home seven podiums, two pole positions and four fastest laps on her way to finish fifth in the Standings.
The Alpine Junior’s single seater career began in 2018, before going on to secure sixth in British F4 in her debut campaign two years later. From there, she entered W Series midway through the 2021 campaign and returned for a full season the following year. She went on to finish fourth in the Standings with two podium finishes, she went on to become a full Alpine Academy member in 2023.
I am very grateful to be coming back for another year as an Alpine Academy driver, and I am honoured that BWT Alpine F1 Team are entrusting me as their driver selection for the 2024 F1 Academy season. This will be my third season in the team’s driver development programme, it’s amazing to be a part of the Alpine Racing family and have such incredible access and support from a Formula 1 team. I am looking forward to competing in the F1 Academy series for a second season and to be racing with Rodin Carlin again. I’m hoping to have a successful year and bring in some good results for the team. I am excited to head into another season of racing on the Formula 1 support bill, the atmosphere is going to be incredible.
Pulling on the news.
We are pleased to announce Abbi as our BWT Alpine F1 Team driver selection for F1 Academy’s 2024 season. This will be her third season as a member of the Alpine Racing family as an Alpine Academy driver, and she has shown some great progress over the course of her time with the team, both on and off the track. She is a fantastic example of how the Academy programme aims to help develop our drivers and support them in the progression of their career, both as drivers and as people. She will be competing in F1 Academy for a second consecutive season and will be supported by the Academy programme and wider BWT Alpine F1 Team throughout her campaign.
Invicta Virtuosi Racing have confirmed their line-up for the 2024 Formula 2 season with Alpine junior Kush Maini and 2023 Formula 3 Champion, Gabriel Bortoleto joining the team.
The Indian driver competed this year with Campos Racing in what was his rookie campaign. He achieved 12 points finishes and a podium in the Melbourne Sprint Race during an impressive season.
Starting out in single seaters in Italian F4 in 2016, Maini claimed podium finishes in the series before moving up to British F3 where he finished third and second overall in 2018 and 2020 respectively. He moved up to F3 in 2022 and finished 14th before graduating to Formula 2 this year and impressing in his first full season.
Bortoleto became the first Brazilian to win the F3 title, where he took two feature race wins and a further four podiums en route to the Championship. He failed to score on just three occasions during the ’23 season, achieving an unmatched level of consistency with 15 scoring results from a possible 18.
Prior to winning the F3 title, the 19 year old achieved wins in Italian F4 and Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine between 2020 and 2022 before his move to F3.
I am very excited to announce that in the 2024 season, I will be competing with Invicta Virtuosi Racing in FIA Formula 2. They have a winning history, having secured the runner-up position in the team championship three times, and together, our goal will be to aim for the best positions for the team. In 2023, they achieved pole positions and victories, and I hope to build a strong and consistent story with them throughout the year. We will have a new car in the championship, and our first challenge will be to adapt quickly and efficiently to start the year on a high note. I am coming from a season of significant personal growth, culminating in the FIA F3 title. I hope to continue this process of evolution as a driver in 2024 and naturally become a victorious driver in the next stages of my career.
Bortoleto on moving up.
I’m super excited and grateful to be joining Invicta Virtuosi Racing for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 championship. They have a great pedigree in Formula 2 and, prior to that, in GP2, and I am looking forward to growing further as a racing driver with the team. A massive thank you to Invicta Virtuosi for putting their trust in me and to the Alpine Academy and my management team for their support. I’ll do my best to hopefully bring many trophies back to the workshop.
Maini on the switch.
We’re delighted to have Gabriel Bortoleto joining us for his debut season in Formula 2. His consistency throughout his rookie campaign in Formula 3 impressed everyone and earned him a convincing and thoroughly deserved championship victory. This was acknowledged by the world of F1 as he became a McLaren Development Driver. Gabriel has visited us at our base in Norfolk and kept in touch since his signing. He’s left a good impression on everyone here and has quickly become part of the team. We were impressed by his adaptation to Formula 3 and, like everyone, are excited to see what he can do in 2024 as he continues to hone and add to his already admirable skillset. Kush has had a solid debut season in Formula 2. He got up to speed immediately and was able to produce good results in 2023. We’ve already spent considerable time with Kush since he first signed for the team and his mentality and approach align well with ours. He has shown dedication and an impressive work effort, and we look forward to helping him add to his F2 podium tally as he continues to improve as a racing driver. He joins Gabriel Bortoleto at the team for 2024, and we are expecting to achieve big things with such a strong duo at the wheel.
Victor Martins left it until the last minute but was the man to beat in the final Free Practice of the 2023 Formula 2 season. The ART Grand Prix driver ended the first session of the weekend on top after setting a 1:37.389.
Zane Maloney put Rodin Carlin second with a late effort of his own while Theo Pourchaire kicked off a potentially title-winning weekend as third quickest. Title rivals Ayumu Iwasa and Frederik Vest finished seventh and ninth respectively.
Newcomers Paul Aron and Franco Colapinto were on the track early to get some mileage under their belts ahead of their debut. The latter suffered a spin coming through the right-hander of turn 11 in the early running but was able to avoid the barriers and continue on his way.
After a relatively quiet start to the session, the circuit filled up quickly approaching half an hour remaining as the majority of the field headed onto track. Nissany lowered the time to beat to a 1:38.492 on his next flying lap to lead by 0.6s from Maloney. The red flags were out soon after as Arthur Leclerc came to a halt in his DAMS between turns 1 and 2.
Doohan briefly went to P1 after running resumed, but it was beaten in quick succession. Pourchaire was pipped by teammate Martins by 0.022s with the rookie setting a 1:38.219 to take the spot from the Championship leader.
The full top 10 are- P1: Martins, P2: Maloney, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Doohan, P5: Verschoor, P6: Boschung, P7: Iwasa, P8: Correa, P9: Vesti and P10: Maini.
Qualifying-
Invicta Virtuosi Racing’s Jack Doohan secured the final pole position of the season with a 1:35.567, beating out Alpine Academy drivers Victor Martins and Kush Maini.
In the title fight, Theo Pourchaire has a difficult weekend ahead of him after missing the top 10 and ending qualifying down in 14th position. Direct rival, Frederik Vesti will start tomorrow’s Sprint Race from the reserve grid front row after ending the session in ninth.
Trident’s Roman Stanek was the first to get a time on the board with a 1:37.591. His effort didn’t stay top for long as Ayumu Iwasa went quickest with a 1:37.181, three tenths ahead of Amaury Cordeel.
Martins jumped straight back into things after topping Free Practice, launching himself 0.489s clear of the DAMS’ driver on a 1:36.692. Doohan sliced the ART Grand Prix driver’s advantage to two tenths, as Ralph Boschung and Maini slotted both Campos Racing cars inside the top four.
After a brief break in the pitlane, the field were back out with 16 minutes remaining. Iwasa regained the fastest time on a 1:36.085, and Martins’ response left him 0.008s adrift of the DAMS driver.
However, Doohan was on a charge, breaking into the 1:35s and rocketing up into provisional pole, two tenths ahead of Maini. Martins and Iwasa tried to find an answer for the Australian but couldn’t. Doohan showed no signs of slowing down, bettering his previous effort to snatch pole by over two tenths.
The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Martins, P3: Maini, P4: Maloney, P5: Iwasa, P6: Hauger, P7: Verschoor, P8: Hadjar, P9: Vesti and P10: Fittipaldi.
Gabriele Mini will return for a second Formula 3 season in 2024, switching to reigning Teams’ Champions PREMA Racing.
A two-time race winner after scoring victories in the Monte Carlo Feature Race and Budapest Sprint, Mini rounded out his rookie campaign seventh in the Drivers’ Standings for Hitech Pulse-Eight.
Participating in the three two-day post-season tests with PREMA, the Alpine junior put together an impressive showing. The 18 year old topped the timing sheets across both days in Imola and earned a further three top two worthy times in Barcelona and Jerez.
Next season, Mini reunite with the team that helped take him to glory in Italian F4 in 2020. From there, the Italian racer finished seventh in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. Returning for a second campaign, he earned the runner-up honours, just behind eventual Champion and 2024 teammate Dino Beganovic.
I’m very happy to join PREMA Racing for the 2024 season. The team had a very strong season last year, and we had some very promising tests together at Jerez and Barcelona. Our only goal will be to fight for the title, and I cannot wait to hit the track and start the new season! I would like to thank the Alpine Academy and All Road Management for their strong support to make it happen.
Mini on the news.
We are really proud to have Gabriele back with us. We thoroughly enjoyed working with him back in 2020 and we are happy to do it again now. We are extremely delighted by how our 2024 line-up is coming together as we have proven winners with high potential and great experience on our side. We cannot wait for the new season to start, and we look forward to the preparation work ahead.
Alpine have announced that Formula 2 rookie, Kush Maini has become the latest addition to the team’s growing young driver programme.
Maini is about to complete his first full season in Formula 2 with Campos Racing, where the Indian driver is sitting 11th in the drivers’ standings. He secured his first F2 podium with a third-place finish in the Sprint Race in Australia, as well as his best qualifying result of second at Silverstone.
He will now benefit from the guidance and support of both the Academy’s fleet of staff and the wider Alpine F1 team, as well as access to their state-of-the-art facilities at their Formula 1 base in Enstone.
The 23 year old joins an Academy line-up that currently features F2 rivals Jack Doohan – who is currently Alpine’s reserve driver – and Victor Martins, and has a host of successful F1 graduates in Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
I am super excited to be joining the Alpine Academy. It’s a dream come true to be associated with a team like BWT Alpine F1 Team, where I can learn and grow to hopefully one day be ready to take the step into Formula 1. A massive thank you to Alpine for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.
Maini on the opportunity.
We are happy to welcome Kush into the Alpine Academy. He is a young talent who we believe has strong potential and will be a great asset to our driver development programme. The Alpine Academy will enter its ninth year in 2024 and currently features nine drivers of eight nationalities, spanning four different series from FIA Formula 2 through to European Karting. The continual expansion of the Academy’s talent pool runs in parallel to the expansion of our facilities at Enstone with the development of our new state-of-the-art training and testing facilities, the AHPC, underway.
Julian Rouse, Alpine F1 Team Interim Sporting Director.
Formula 2 racer, Jack Doohan will get behind the wheel for the Alpine F1 team during first practice in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.
The 20 year old is currently sitting fourth in the F2 drivers’ standings with one round remaining. Doohan – now into his second season with the Alpine Academy – previously took part in the same two FP1 sessions for the outit during the latter stages of the 2022 campaign.
Despite his first outing in Mexcio City being cut short due to “anomalies” on his Renault power unit, the Australian admitted that the memory of making his Formula 1 weekend debut was something he would “cherish forever”.
Now Doohan will return to the cockpit when he drives the A523 with F1 teams required to run a young driver – defined as someone who has started no more than two Grands Prix – in two FP1 sessions per season.
The Abu Dhabi weekend will feature both the Formula 1 and Formula 2 season finales so it is likely to be a busy event for Doohan who enter the F2 final round with a seven point advantage over fellow Alpine Academy driver Victor Martins.
Very grateful to BWT Alpine F1 team for the opportunity to drive the A523 in Free practice at the Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Can’t wait to go through the motions in a weeks time and hop into the car!
Hauger gained the run he needed on the way to Turn 1 to take the inside line and lead away from Kush Maini. Iwasa surged around the outside of the Campos driver at Turn 2 to take second from fifth on the grid, while Bearman was looming large in Maini’s mirrors for third.
Victor Martins also got in on the action, moving up to seventh from P9 on the grid, rounding Isack Hadjar at Turn 12 to end a busy opening lap.
Frederik Vesti tried to pass Hadjar at Turn 1 on lap 2 but was forced to take to the runoff. It allowed Jack Doohan enough momentum to go around the outside of the Championship leader and take ninth from the Dane at Turn 2.
A DRS train formed in the first 10 laps which started from second down to 21st as drivers looked to save tyre life for later in the race.
The formation running ended on lap 12 after a lock up by Clement Novalak into Turn 1 put the Trident driver on a collision course with Ralph Boschung. It left both drivers out of the running and brought out a brief VSC.
With 11 laps to go, Iwasa was given the all clear from the team to push, and the action ramped up once again as everyone upped the pace. The DAMS driver closed up to Hauger by eight tenths of a second on the following lap, with the gap at 1.9s entering the final 10 laps.
With five laps left, Pourchaire made the dive at Turn 1 on Maini having been stuck to the rear wing of the Campos. Bearman was next on the attack, taking fourth position from the Indian driver at the next corner, going all the way around the outside.
Down to three laps remaining and this time Bearman was the one making the late dive to the inside at Turn 1, forcing his way through on Pourchaire to take P3 from the french driver.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hauger, P2: Iwasa, P3: Bearman, P4: Pourchaire, P5: Daruvala, P6: Maini, P7: Martins, P8: Hadjar, P9: Vesti and P10: Doohan.
Day 3-
Doohan got a great launch from pole to lead into Turn 1 while third placed Vesti went wheel to wheel with Martins into the first corner. On the run to Turn 2, the PREMA Racing driver got the move done to seal second position.
Oliver Bearman started on mediums from seventh, but the Briton fell back to ninth on the opening lap, passed by Dennis Hauger and Enzo Fittipaldi who were both on the softs. Juan Manuel Correa made an electric start to move up five places to P10.
Zane Maloney was the first of those on soft tyres to make a mandatory stop on Lap 8. The Rodin Carlin driver rejoined in 21st but his stopped dragged a few more in on the following lap.
Isack Hadjar was the first of the top five to stop on Lap 13 from fifth and Theo Pourchaire responded one lap later, both swapping to the mediums. The ART Grand Prix driver rejoined in 14th to remain ahead of his compatriot, but both were caught up behind Amaury Cordeel on old medium tyres.
Vesti made the swap to mediums lap 23, rejoining in fourth position just 1.4s ahead of title rival Pourchaire. Martins pitted on the following lap and filtered out on cold tyres ahead of Vesti. The Mercedes junior breezed back through to take the place on the run to Turn 2.
While his rivals scrapped on track, Doohan made his stop on Lap 25, rejoining with the lead of the race and 8.7s ahead of closest challenger Vesti in second. Iwasa was onto the back of Pourchaire quickly with his soft tyres fired up. The Japanese driver got the switchback out of Turn 1 to take fifth position on Lap 26.
The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Vesti, P3: Martins, P4: Iwasa, P5: Hadjar, P6: Pourchaire, P7: Hauger, P8: Fittipaldi, P9: Correa and P10: Verschoor.
In his first front row start of Formula 3, Nikita Bedrin didn’t let inexperience fail him, as he nailed his getaway and gave him the run he need to swoop around the outside and take the lead out of Turn 1.
Bortoleto tried to execute the same move on Mansell for third, but the Trident driver couldn’t keep it within the white lines, going across the run-off.
Further back on the grid, Tommy Smith and Sebastian Montoya made contact on the opening lap, with Van Amersfoort Racing driver pitched into the air and across the gravel.
Having been waiting for a time to make the right move, Bortoleto pounced for third on lap 7. Utilising the DRS, the Trident driver sailed from a long way back down the inside of the Campos at Turn 1. Aron tried to do the same two laps later, with a great run out of the final corner but couldn’t make the late move stick and ended up running wide.
Attempting to find his way through on Tsolov, O’Sullivan tried moves left, right and centre as the Bulgarian driver got his elbows out to defend eighth. Looking up at the apex, the PREMA car tagged the rear of the ART forcing O’Sullivan to box.
Montoya came to a halt between Turns 12 and 13, which triggered a Virtual Safety Car which was quickly converted into a full Safety Car.
Once racing resumed on lap 17 the field faced a three-lap sprint to the line. Aron instantly forced Mansell onto the defensive for fourth position, having been unable to get past at Turn 1, the Estonian got the job done around the outside of Turn 3.
The full top 10 are- P1: Mini, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Bedrin, P4: Aron, P5: Goethe, P6: Mansell, P7: Colapinto, P8: Edgar, P9: Saucy and P10: Beganovic.
Day 3-
O’Sullivan wasted no time breaking clear out front, as he bolted off the line to cover off his teammate Beganovic on the run down into Turn 1.
Oliver Goethe tried to swoop around the outside of Colapinto, but the MP Motorsport driver fought back to cling on to fourth. Having lost P6 off the line, Paul Aron muscled his way past Jonny Edgar through Turn 3.
After a disappointing Qualifying, Josep Maria Marti was on a redemption charge from 13th on the grid. The Spanish driver moved up into the points, where he quickly dispatched his teammate Mansell along with Edgar on Lap 8 to move into 8th position.
Championship rivals Bortoleto and Marti squared off against each other for seventh. The Campos car tried to pass the Brazilian at Turn 1, but a huge lock-up sent him sailing wide across the run-off area.
Edgar began hounding Mansell at the tail end of the points. Mansell suffered a lock up into Turn 1 on Lap 18, allowing the Briton to breeze through, with his MP teammate Mari Boya taking advantage to demote him out of the top 10.
The full top 10 are- P1: O’Sullvian, P2: Beagnovic, P3: Colapinto, P4: Goethe, P5: Aron, P6: Marti, P7: Bortoleto, P8: Edgar, P9: Fornaroli and P10: Boya.
Not long to wait until round 9 as it’s this week! We only have two rounds remaining of the Formula 3 2023 Championship, who will be our new champion?…
Ayumu Iwasa was quickly up and running around the Hungaroring, ending the first session of the weekend fastest of all for DAMS. The Japanese driver traded the top spot with Championship leader, Frederik Vesti throughout Practice. He ended up top of the timesheet with a 1:28.882, 0.149s quicker than the Dane. Martins rounded out the top three.
The ART Grand Prix driver set the initial pace with a 1:30.839 to lead the way from Roman Stanek and Jack Doohan in the opening 10 minutes.
Iwasa bettered the Frenchman’s effort before Vesti took the top spot, setting a 1:29.360 after losing a previous attempt for exceeding track limits. Martins immediately moved back to P2, 0.060s down on the best time from the PREMA Racing driver.
Doohan was looking set to challenge the top three, setting a purple middle sector but his efforts were soon undone with a lock-up and wide moment at Turn 12.
Qualifying-
Jack Doohan claimed his first FIA Formula 2 pole position of the year with a last-gasp effort in a closely fought session. The Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver’s 1:27.676 prevented a third consecutive pole position for Victor Martins with the ART Grand Prix driver second in the end. Frederik Vesti, held provisional pole for much of the session, but couldn’t find a late improvement, settling for third.
After the early warm up laps, Vesti set the benchmark to beat on a 1:28.334 to lead the way. Doohan popped his car into second early on, 0.2s back from the Dane with Martins third.
Improvements by Enzo Fittipaldi, Ayumu Iwasa and Dennis Hauger put them fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, bumping Doohan down to P7 before a red flag appears.
Trident’s Roman Stanek caused the stoppage after spinning into the barriers at Turn 11, with just under 20 minutes of Qualifying left.
With 12 minutes to go, the drivers switched to new soft tyres. With Pourchaire next to go top by just 0.001s ahead of his title rival until Vesti retook P1. Teammate, Oliver Bearman cracked the top five on his next lap to go fourth fastest ahead of Jehan Daruvala, who leapt up to fifth for MP Motorsport.
Martins had made an error on an earlier effort but with a purple middle sector, took provisional pole by 0.039s but this time Vesti couldn’t respond.
The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Martins, P3: Vesti, P4: Pourchaire, P5: Hadjar, P6: Iwasa, P7: Bearman, P8: Daruvala, P9: Hauger and P10: Maini.
Enzo Fittipaldi kick started the second half of the season in great form as the Rodin Carlin driver topped the opening practice session in Spielberg. Setting a 1:15.216 before the halfway point, the Red Bull junior remained at the top of the pile throughout.
With track temperatures approaching 40˚C at the Red Bull Ring, Roy Nissany set the initial pace, which put him ahead of Fittipaldi and Maloney by just 0.025s.
The first Red Flag was thrown with 11 minutes left on the clock after Pourchaire spun out a Turn 4. The Frenchman dropped a wheel into the gravel, sending him into a pirouette and he was unable to restart the car.
Green flag conditions resumed with six minutes to go. As the field jostled for track position behind him, Virtuosi Racing’s Amaury Cordeel spun off at Turn 1. With less than four minutes remaining, practice was red flagged once again and did not resume.
Qualifying-
Victor Martins threw down the gauntlet early on in Qualifying around the Red Bull Ring on his way to claim his second Formula 2 pole position of his rookie campaign.
The ART Grand Prix driver led from his first flying lap, improving to a 1:14.643 on his third attempt to retain the top spot. Championship contenders Frederik Vesti and Theo Pourchaire had to settle for second and third.
The full top 10 are: P1: Martins, P2: Vesti, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Maini, P5: Doohan, P6: Fittipaldi, P7: Cordeel, P8: Leclerc, P9: Daruvala and P10: Crawford.
Heading the field out of the pits, Roman Stanek was the first driver to take a turn in the top spot, before Vesti put himself ahead with a 1:15.134.
Meanwhile, Practice pace-setter Fittipaldi looked to continue that form as he moved up into second, before a track limit violation demoted him to the bottom of the timing sheets. But he wasn’t the only one to get caught out by track limits.
After a lengthy stay in the pits, the field immediately scrambled for track position as they headed out with just 11 minutes left.
Vesti tried to wrestle provisional pole away from the Alpine junior but couldn’t quite manage it, ending up a tenth down on Martins.
Alpine have announced that Jack Doohan will be acting as the squad’s reserve driver during the upcoming F1 season. As it marks the next step for the Aussie after his recent test and practice outings.
Doohan joined the Alpine Academy from Red Bull’s junior programme in 2022, combining work for the F1 team with a second F2 campaign which yielded three wins, three pole positions and sixth in the standings.
In the closing stages of the year, Doohan also made his official Grand Prix weekend debut with FP1 outings in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. Now, having also taken part in the 2022 post-season test in Abu Dhabi, 20 year-old Doohan has been given the official title of Alpine reserve driver.
It means he will be called upon should regular Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly – the latter arriving from AlphaTauri to replace Aston Martin bound Fernando Alonso – be unable to compete.
Alongside his F1 reserve duties, Doohan will be continuing to compete in F2 for a third campaign in 2023, sticking with the Virtuosi Racing squad as Alpine set him the target of claiming the title.
Abbi Pulling will be racing with Rodin Carlin this season in the F1 Academy, as well as becoming a fully-fledged member of the Alpine Academy driver programme.
Pulling was an Alpine Affiliate last season during which she achieved a seventh place finish in the 2022 W Series campaign.
The British driver began her career at nine, racing in karting before graduating up to Ginetta Juniors. In 2020, she moved to British Formula 4 where she took four podiums on the way to P6 in the championship.
A second British F4 campaign and a further three podiums followed. She also completed her maiden season in W Series, finishing the 2021 season seventh. The following year, she climbed to fourth place overall, achieving four top five finishes in 2022.
It is great to be competing in the first season of the F1 Academy, especially to be working with such a successful team as Rodin Carlin. Having spent time with the team before, I can’t wait to get the season started, working alongside some incredible people. I have lots of trust in them and know they will push me to be the best I can be. I’m very thankful for the continued support of the Alpine Academy for a second season and the great work of Gazing Performance and Alice Powell behind the scenes. I’m also excited to welcome My First Alert who are supporting my programme for the first time this year.
Abbi Pulling on her F1 Academy seat.
We’re delighted to welcome Abbi to the team for this first season of F1 Academy. Our paths have crossed in the past before and Abbi is a driver we’ve wanted to work with for some time now. We’re really excited that we are able to work on this programme together and have no doubt that Abbi will be a huge asset to the team. Thank you to the Alpine Academy for entrusting us with this next stage of Abbi’s career. We can’t wait to get on track.
Caio Collet will be joining Van Amersfoort Racing for his third season in Formula 3, as the Brazilian racer makes the switch from MP Motorsport.
The 20 year old, first made his F3 appearance in 2021, scoring two podiums, including one on debut in Barcelona.
After a successful rookie season, Collet put in more strong performances in 2022 earning sprint race wins in Budapest and Zandvoort where he went on to finish eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Prior to his move to F3, Collet secured the 2018 French F4 title in his maiden season in single-seaters. There he achieved an impressive 11 podium finishes which included seven victories.
The following year saw him finish fifth in Formula Renault Eurocup, claiming six podiums along the way. He then returned for a second campaign in 2020, Collet took five wins and seven further podiums on his way to finish second in the Championship.
Exciting times are coming as I am extremely motivated to get started with Van Amersfoort Racing. During their first year in F3, the team proved to everyone how much potential they have. From my side, I am very confident going into the new season. I have used the winter period effectively and feel ready, more than I ever did. I have set high goals for myself, and the team is as motivated as I am to take the maximum out of this year, so let the games begin!
Collet on his move.
Caio has shown in the past how fast and talented he is, making it extremely exciting to have him as part of our F3 driver line-up this year. Caio brings valuable experience to the team, which will help us to grow at an even higher pace than last year. Clearly, he is determined to perform strong this year, and so do we as a team. Our motivation levels are really high, the least said, and our crew is very much looking forward to working with an experienced driver as Caio!
Formula 2 racer, Jack Doohan will be making his Formula 1 race weekend debut at the Mexico City Grand Prix when he drives for Alpine in the opening practice.
Doohan, is part of Alpine’s Driver Academy, will tackle the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Esteban Ocon’s car. As well as this he will get a second outing in FP1 in the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP.
Mexico will be the second time the 19 year old has sampled 2022-spec machinery, having completed the permitted 100km of running on demonstration tyres during the teams filming day at Monza last month.
Doohan, son of five time 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick, has also tested last year’s Alpine this season through test days in Qatar in May, Monza in June and Budapest in September.
The Australian, is currently fourth in his debut season in F2, having stepped up a class after finishing second in F3 in 2021. He has won three races this season, plus scored three further podiums and three pole positions and is in the hunt to claim third in the standings.
Doohan is Alpine’s most high-profile junior driver following the departure of F2 champion Oscar Piastri who will be making his F1 race debut alongside Lando Norris at McLaren next year.
I’m extremely grateful to Alpine for giving me this opportunity to drive in Free Practice in Mexico. It’s always a huge honour to be entrusted to drive a Formula 1 car, so to have the opportunity on a Grand Prix weekend is very special. Ultimately, the aim is to be doing this every week and this experience is another step closer to achieving that goal. I’ve prepared as best as I can, and I think it’s going to be very exciting to experience the car at this type of circuit with the high altitude and very high top speed. I’ll work hard on the day, do everything the team sets out and, at the same time, enjoy the moment as I know it’s going to be a unique opportunity.
Jack Doohan on FP1 sessions.
We are very pleased to announce Jack will join the team in Mexico and take over driving duties for Free Practice 1. We have all been impressed with Jack’s progression across many areas this season and he’s deserving of this chance as we continue to nurture his high potential. It’s important to give our young drivers opportunities to test Formula 1 cars and our Academy programme has proven to be successful in doing just that. We expect Jack to work hard during the session and take as much as he can from the experience of being involved in a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend.
Victor Martins will be spending his 2022 season with ART Grand Prix in Formula 3 for his second season. The French racer completes ART’s line up, as he joins rookie Gregoire Saucy and Juan Manuel Correa.
Marts spent the 2021 campaign with MP Motorsport, finishing as the highest placed rookie in fifth. He took his first win in Zandvoort, and managed to score six podiums in total.
The 20 year old, switched to ART for post-season testing, he finished second in the times in both sessions on Day 1.
Martins made his single-seater debut in the final four races of the French Formula 4 series, before stepping up full time in 2017 and finishing as vice champion. The Alpine Academy driver then spent three seasons in Formula Renault Eurocup, finishing fifth in 2018, second in 2019 and then winning the title in 2020 with seven wins and 14 podiums.
“I am very happy to be able to collaborate with ART Grand Prix once again,” said Martins. “This time for the 2022 FIA F3 Championship, following on from a 2020 season that was filled with common successes. I am excited for this opportunity and to start this new adventure together. Our goals are big, and we are ready to achieve them. I have already done a lot of work this winter to start the season well prepared from the first few laps behind the wheel. I can’t wait to get back in the car!”
ART Grand Prix Team Principal Sébastien Philippe added: “We are delighted that Victor returns to the team. He has great qualities as a driver and of a man that were beneficial to us during the Formula Renault Team and Driver title in 2020. We have followed his progress very closely, last year. In 2022 we are hoping to harness both ART Grand Prix and Victor’s full potential so we can put our names on the Formula 3 charts.”
Caio Collet has been retained for his second season in Formula 3 by MP Motorsport, where he will join Alex Smolyar.
The Brazilian driver, enjoyed a positive debut season with MP finishing as the second-highest rookie in ninth place, he managed to grab a podium in his very first race before adding a second in Round 2
But after this, the 19 year old went through a tricky spell of one points’ finish in six races. He then went on to finish in the top 5 in six of the final eight races. Collet then remained with MP for post-season testing in Valencia and finished in the top 10 in five out of six sessions.
In 2018, Collet made his debut in to single seaters, he went on to win the French Formula 4 title the same year, which saw him take seven wins and 11 podiums from 20 races.
He then took a step up to Formula Renault Eurocup for 2019, placing fifth in his rookie year and second to Victor Martins in his second, before he made the jump to F3.
“I’m very happy to continue in FIA F3 with MP Motorsport and the enduring support of the Alpine Academy”, said Collet. “We were strong in 2021 – and that was while taking on many accomplished drivers in an intensely competitive championship. With the knowledge that I have gained in my first season, I’m very much aiming to improve on last year’s results. I’m also looking forward to again racing in the special atmosphere of the Grand Prix weekends, and in front of the F1 teams.”
MP Motorsport Team Principal Sander Dorsman added: “Caio staying with us for a second year is a massive coup. Last year, with three rookies, Caio being one of them, we showed that we were right on the pace with the longer-serving top runners in the series and took home a lot of points to bag a fighting fourth in the Team’s Championship. Building on Caio’s talent and increased experience, and teaming him up with Alex, hands us a very strong package for 2022. I can’t wait to attack the season with these guys.”
My Opinion-
Yesss! This is the right decision by far, if you look back at what his done so far and how well he has done including his rookie seasons it shows he is very talented and deserves a spot in F3 as well as the Alpine Academy.
Jack Doohan has been announced as a new member of the Alpine Academy, after leaving Red Bull’s Junior Team, the team he joined in 2017.
The Virtuosi driver, enjoyed a stellar campaign in Formula 3 in 2021, winning four times and grabbing seven podiums as he finished as vice-champion to Dennis Hauger. This was an impressive turn around following on from a difficult rookie season with HWA Racelab, where he failed to take any points.
The Australian said that a visit to the Alpine base in Enstone in October convinced him that their junior programme was the right place for him to continue his development.
Alpine have moved to bolster their academy for 2022, with fellow F2 racer Olli Caldwell, while 2022 F3 races Caio Collet and Victor Martins having both been retained. The new line-up have just finished a training camp with the academy in Tenerife.
2021 Alpine Academy duo, Oscar Piastri and Guanyu Zhou both fought for the title and have now graduated to Formula 1 roles, both drivers were heavily involved with the team behind the scenes, undertaking simulator work and testing F1 machinery.
“The option came up for me to go to Alpine for the season and I had a bit of time to think about it and to decide what was going to be the best option for me moving forward,” explained Doohan. “The academy director Mia Sharizman invited me to go to the factory in late October last year. It wasn’t a certainty for me to join the academy then, it was just to go and get a feel for it, to do some physical tests and to see how I got on in that atmosphere. Within the first day, I felt at home. The relationship and the atmosphere was just what I needed and I was very happy with the structure that they’ve got going forward.”
“We can basically go in there when we please,” said Doohan. “You have the whole team there to work with, whether that be engineers from the Formula 1 team or from the test team, so we have a huge base of knowledge that we can use going forward. I have got a really good trainer in David Thompson, who manages all things physical for us in the academy. There is on-track support as well from coaches and staff members to keep pushing us and to give us the confidence that we need to be able to get the results that they and we want, which is ultimately to win the Championship and to do as good as possible. The structure is only going to be beneficial for me going forward.”
British racing driver, Olli Caldwell has signed on the dotted line for the 2022 season, he will be competing in Formula 2 with Campos Racing. He also has joined the Alpine Academy!
The 19 year old, race in Formula 3 in the 2021 season with Prema where he finished 8th overall, with four podiums including one win. He made his Formula 2 debut in the final two rounds of the season with Campos, his best finish being of 12th in Sprint Race 2 at Jeddah.
Caldwell, then remained with the team for post-season testing and impressed enough to ear a full time deal for 2022.
After a season competing in the Ginetta Junior Championship, Caldwell made the step up into single-seaters in 2017, competing on two fronts in the British and Italian Formula 4, he then remained in Formula 4 for a second season and finished third with Prema.
Caldwell, then moved to Formula Regional European in 2019, and placed fifth in his rookie year which earned him a spot in F3, he was with Trident for his first season where he went on to score points on four occasions.
“I’m very excited to be joining Campos Racing,” said Caldwell. “Especially after finishing the last two rounds and the post-season test with them. I get on really well with the team and especially with Ralph Boschung. The car is looking very strong and I think we can definitely achieve some very good results this year.”
Campos Racing Sporting Director Adrián Campos added: “Despite the short time that we have been working together, the sensations cannot be better. Olli has adapted very well to the team and to the car and we are sure that a very good year awaits us. Olli has the instinct, perseverance and intelligence to continue growing as a driver and at Campos Racing we are going to give him all the tools to do so.”
My Opinion-
I think we all knew this was going to happen, especially with Campos! With Olli having already raced with the team in F2 machinery it gives him some what of a head start compared to some of the new rookies.
I didn’t expect him to announce him joining the Alpine Academy, but it is a good thing! He deserves to be in an junior academy so lets see where it will take him!
Jordan's Track Talk 