ART Grand Prix has announced the signing of Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak for the 2026 FIA Formula 2 season.
The Thai driver is set to make the step up from FIA F3 next season with the French team after finishing seventh in the Drivers’ Standings. He claimed three race victories across the season, along with a further two top five finishes.
He also took part in the FIA Formula 2 Season Finale in Abu Dhabi with Trident, so has had his first weekend in the Formula 2 car.
I’m very proud to finally announce that I will be joining ART Grand Prix for my rookie season in Formula 2. The team has proven over the years with its great successes, so I’m confident it’s the right environment for me to take this next step. I’m excited to start this new chapter and to work with everyone in the team ahead of the season. Inthraphuvasak on the news.
Tasanapol delivered a solid season in FIA F3, with three wins and some strong performances. He now has the opportunity to take on the next step in Formula 2, and we look forward to seeing how he adapts to this new challenge. Sebastien Philippe, ART Grand Prix Team Principal.
ART Grand Prix have confirmed the signing of Taito Kato for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season, completing their line-up for next year.
Kato will drive alongside the previously confirmed Kanato Le and Maciej Gladysz, with all three set to embark on their rookie campaigns in 2026.
The Japanese driver race in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine this year with the French squad, finishing seventh in the Drivers’ Standings with two podiums and five top five finishes across the season.
Prior to this year, he made his single-seater debut in 2024 in the French F4 Championship, winning the title with an impressive five victories and six further podiums.
Kato said he was pleased to be stepping up with ART for another campaign with a team he knows well.
I’m genuinely excited about the new challenges awaiting us next year. I’m really thrilled to be driving for ART GP in F3 next year and to be driving with the same team as I did in FRECA. Kato on the news.
Taito integrated perfectly into the team this season in FRECA. He showed strong adaptability, great discipline, and a lot of potential that is just waiting to be fully expressed at the highest level. Moving up to FIA F3 is the natural next step in our collaboration. He’s still young, but he has already demonstrated real maturity in his driving and a clear desire to improve with every session. We’re excited to continue this journey together in 2026. Sebastien Philippe, ART Team Principal.
ART Grand Prix have announced that Kanato Le will be racing for them in the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season.
Le made the step up to single seater racing in 2022 and had a strong 2023 campaign in British F4, winning two races and adding a further two podiums on his way to finishing seventh in the Standings.
The Japanese driver also competed in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, and then returned for a second season in the competition with ART Grand Prix this year.
So far in 2025, he has achieved several points finishes and sits 13th in the Drivers’ Standings.
In addition to that, Le has competed in nine races of this year’s GB3 Championship, achieving one victory and an additional two podiums.
I’m super excited to be racing in FIA F3 next season with ART GP. I am really grateful for the opportunity they have given me to be able to race in this championship. It’s been a good year working with the team in FRECA this season and I look forward to getting started in F3. I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point and trusting me. I will work hard with the team to achieve good results so I’m really looking forward to it. Le on the news.
Kanato’s move to F3 is the natural continuation of his journey with ART Grand Prix. After two seasons in FRECA, he will now discover an even more demanding category, where every detail makes the difference. Kanato already knows the team and how it operates, which will help him integrate smoothly and focus fully on his driving. This continuity is important both for him and for us, and we are looking forward to the next stages of his development. Sebastien Philippe, ART Grand Prix Team Principal.
Maciej Gladysz will move up to FIA Formula 3 in 2026 with ART Grand Prix, the French team has confirmed.
The Polish driver made his single-seater debut last year, finishing third overall in both the Formula Winter Series and Spanish F4 Championship in 2024.
In 2025, he followed that up by winning the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship with two poles, wins and five podiums overall and is currently sixth in the Eurocup-3 Standings having taken a race victory.
Prior to his step into single-seater racing, Gladysz won multiple karting accolades at both a National and European level.
Stepping up into the FIA Formula 3 Championship with the ART Grand Prix Team is a dream come true for me and my family. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and proud to make my F3 debut with such a successful squad. I immediately felt at home in the team and can’t wait to start this new chapter of my career. I’ve learned a lot in 2025 and shown that I have the speed to make that next step for 2026. I always aim high and I’m ready to continue working hard and keep improving as a driver. I would also like to thank all our partners who made this step possible and all the amazing fans who supported me along the way. The 17 year old on the news.
We are pleased to welcome Maciej to ART Grand Prix for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season. He has gained valuable experience in F4 and Eurocup-3 and shown good potential. FIA F3 is a significant step, and we are looking forward to working with him to help him continue his development and meet the challenges ahead.” Sebastien Philippe, ART Team Principal.
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.
Aurelia Nobels has become the 11th full-time driver to be confirmed for the 2025 season, with the Brazilian continuing with F1 Academy Official Partner PUMA.
Nobels joined F1 Academy after campaigns in Brazilian F4 in 2022, followed by the Italian F4 and Euro 4 Championships in 2023.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy prospect went on to achieve six points finishes last year which includes a best result of fifth in Zandvoort.
Finishing the season 12th overall, Nobels will be eyeing more success as she finalises ART Grand Prix’s roster for the upcoming season. The 18 year old will race alongside Williams’ Lia Block and newcomer Courtney Crone for Haas.
I’m thrilled to announce I will be continuing my journey in F1 ACADEMY with ART Grand Prix in 2025. Partnering with Puma is an incredible honour and I’m grateful for their belief in me. I’m ready to embrace the challenges, push boundaries and make 2025 unforgettable! Nobels on the news.
ART Grand Prix have announced that Ritomo Miyata will join the team next season in Formula 2. The Japanese driver completed his rookie campaign this year, finishing the season with eight point finishes across the campaign.
Miyata joined Formula 2 after winning the Super Formula and Super GT GT500 titles in 2023. Prior to that, the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver secured victories in Japanese Formula 4 and the Super Formula Lights series’, winning titles in both categories in 2020 and 2017 respectively.
Speaking about his move to ART, Miyata said that he was hugely excited to be joining a team which has achieved so much success in Formula 2.
I am thrilled to announce that I will be competing in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season with ART Grand Prix. I am deeply grateful to Morizo-san (Akio Toyoda) and everyone at TGR for giving me another opportunity to race in Formula 2. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to ART Grand Prix for warmly welcoming me into their team. ART Grand Prix is a prestigious team in the world of motorsport, and I feel honored and excited to compete alongside them as one of their drivers. Building on the lessons I learned during the 2024 season, I will give my absolute best together with Morizo-san, TGR, and ART Grand Prix. Thank you for your continued support as we take on the 2025 season together. Miyata on the news.
We are delighted to welcome Ritomo Miyata to ART Grand Prix for the 2025 Formula 2 season. With his prior F2 experience and impressive results in single-seater racing, Ritomo has all the qualities needed to take on this challenge. We are excited to work with him and support him in achieving his goals this season. Sebastian Philippe, ART Team Principal.
Lia Block will be back for more in 2025, as Williams have announced that the American driver will continue to represent them next season. The 18 year old’s sophomore campaign also sees her drive with ART Grand Prix again.
This season, Block has taken the transition from rallying to single-seaters in her stride. Building confidence and strengthening her skills round-by-round. She finished eighth in the Drivers’ Standings with two P4 finishes which was her best finish.
Alongside representing them on the grid, Block will remain a member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy and she is thrilled at continuing their partnership for another year.
I’m excited to be racing with Williams Racing and ART Grand Prix for the 2025 season, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone in the Driver Academy for another year. We’ve made so much progress, and I can’t wait to hit the track again in Shanghai. This time we fight for wins! Block on the news.
We’re thrilled to have Lia racing with us in F1 Academy for 2025. Lia has shown impressive improvement throughout her first season of open-wheel racing, progressing race after race to end the year in a great position. We’ll be closely watching her continued growth in the coming year. Sven Smeets, Sporting Director at Williams Racing.
Courtney Crone will be making a full-time step up to F1 Academy, with Haas selecting the American driver to represent them on the 2025 grid.
The 23 year old becomes the second Wild Card entrant to join next year’s field for the seven-round campaign, after narrowly missing out on points during her debut weekend at Round 2 in Miami.
Crone is currently competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North American Championship and has previously raced across multiple disciplines such as speedway motorcycles, dirt and pavement USAC Midget and Sprint Cars, LMP3 prototypes, and various junior Formula Cars.
Her achievements include winning the 2023/24 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship and the 2021 Gorsline Company Scholarship. She is also a three-time winner of the Women’s Sports Foundation / Project Podium with Lyn St. James award and a three-time VMB Driver Development scholarship winner.
Haas took the opportunity to thank outgoing driver Chloe Chambers – who will be representing Red Bull Ford for 2025 – for her hard works across the season, which also includes her maiden victory in Barcelona Race 2.
I’m incredibly honoured to be joining the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team for the 2025 F1 ACADEMY season. Representing America’s F1 team is a dream come true, and I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity. Ever since I competed with the F1 ACADEMY at the Miami Grand Prix as a Wild Card entrant, it’s been a goal of mine to race full-time in the series. That experience gave me a taste of the challenge and devotion it will take to become a championship contender. Making the most of this incredible opportunity is my number one priority and together with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, I feel I have the best chance for success. Crone on the news.
I’m delighted to welcome Courtney to the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team family. As F1 ACADEMY approaches the crescendo of its first season racing on the Formula 1 calendar, it’s been astonishing to see the increased interest and popularity of the category – that’s testament to the hard work put in by Susie Wolff and the F1 ACADEMY team to provide greater opportunities for female racers. Courtney is an ambitious and dedicated racer, something that when looking for an ambassador for our team was crucial. We’ll provide access, support, and opportunities to learn within a Formula 1 organization, and in turn, we look forward to seeing another F1 ACADEMY recruit thrive on the world’s stage. Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team.
ART Grand Prix have confirmed that James Wharton will drive for the team next season in FIA Formula 3, completing the French outfit’s 2025 line-up.
The Australian took part in post-season testing with the team in Jerez, while he is active in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, where he currently sits second in the Standings.
Previously, Wharton achieved top five finishes in the UAE Formula 4, Italian and ADAC Formula 4 Championships in 2022, and went on to claim the UAE F4 title in 2023.
He was also runner-up in Euro 4 in 2023 aswell, looking to this season currently he has taken four wins, five poles and eight podiums in FRECA.
It won’t be Wharton’s first time in a Formula 3 car as he made his FIA F3 debut at Silverstone in July, where he raced for Hitech Pulse-Eight.
I can’t thank ART Grand Prix enough for this incredible opportunity. This is undoubtedly the most significant step in my racing career so far, and I deeply appreciate the trust they’ve placed in me and my potential. I’m eager to start working with one of the most prestigious teams on the grid, and we’ll put in the hard work this winter to be fully prepared when the season kicks off. Wharton on the news.
We are very pleased to welcome James Wharton to ART Grand Prix for the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. James has shown impressive results in FRECA, currently sitting in second place in the standings, and we believe he has all the qualities to succeed in Formula 3. His performance this season has been outstanding, and we are confident that he will be a strong contributor to the team as we move forward. Sebastien Philippe, ART Grand Prix Team Principal.
ART Grand Prix have confirmed their second driver signing for the 2025 Formula 3 season, with Tuukka Taponen set to race for the French team.
Taponen made the step up to single seater racing after a trophy-laden career in karting and finished second in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship, all thanks to his 10 podiums, which included four victories.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent finished fifth in both Italian F4 and Euro 4 categories that same year, before winning the Formula Regional Middle East Championship at the start of this year.
Since then, Taponen has been competing in the Formula Regional European Championship and currently sits third in the standings with four victories.
The Finn has already made his debut with ART this season at the penultimate round in Spa-Francorchamps and is now excited to make the step up full time.
I am really excited about the F3 contract with the ART GP team for the 2025 season. They already showed interest in me in the summer, giving me the opportunity to participate in last season’s FIA F3 Spa competition. The team immediately impressed me both on and off the track and it felt like coming home. ART GP has a long and successful history and I want to be a part of it in the future. ART GP is a familiar team to us Finns. For example, Valtteri Bottas won the championship with ART GP team before moving up to the Formula 1 series. Taponen on the news.
We are very pleased to welcome Tuukka Taponen to the team for 2025. He’s a young driver with great potential, and his performance with us at Spa showed that he has what it takes to succeed. We’re excited to see how he will develop in the new era of Formula 3 and are confident that he will be a strong asset to the team. Sebastien Philippe, Team Principal.
ART Grand Prix have confirmed that Laurens van Hoepen will be staying with the team for the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season, the Dutch driver returned for a second campaign.
The 19 year old enjoyed a strong rookie year with ART, achieving one pole position and three podiums on his way to finishing 13th in the Drivers’ standings.
Prior to his debut F3 campaign, van Hoepen raced in ART colours for two season in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, finishing 10th with two podiums in 2023.
He is now getting ready to race with the French team for a fourth consecutive season, and van Hoepen is excited for the challenges that lie ahead.
I’m really excited to continue with ART Grand Prix for the 2025 season. We’ve built a strong foundation together this year, and I feel ready to take on the new challenges that the next era of Formula 3 will bring. The team has been incredible in supporting my development, and I’m confident we can achieve great things together in 2025. Van Hoepen on the news.
We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Laurens Van Hoepen as we enter the exciting new era of Formula 3 in 2025. Laurens has shown great promise and dedication in his debut season with ART, and we believe that together we can achieve even greater success in the coming year. Sebastien Philippe, Team Principal on the news.
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.
Mari Boya started his Budapest weekend on the front foot, winding up quickest for Campos Racing with a 1:34.236 in practice. The Spaniard led Hitech Pulse-Eight teammates Martinius Stenshorne and Luke Browning, who completed the top three.
After a quiet start to the session, drivers headed out onto the circuit with 15 minutes gone. Following tyre preparation laps, Alex Dunne set the first time to beat with a 1:34.986 which was swiftly bettered by Gabriele Mini.
His PREMA Racing teammate Dino Beganovic had been on a strong lap just ahead of him but a snap of oversteer at the penultimate corner cost the Swede time, crossing the line almost a second down in fifth.
Sebastian Montoya had been inside the top five earlier in the session but lost his first effort to track limits. The Campos Racing driver bounced back right away though to go second overall, 0.117s off Leon’s time.
Teammate Boya beat the pair of them shortly afterwards, going well clear of the rest on a 1:34.236 with just over 10 minutes left of the session.
Hitech Pulse-Eight teammates Martinius Stenshorne and Browning then moved themselves into the top positions, the former going second and the Briton fourth. On his final lap, the latter was able to find the time to lift himself up one more spot to take third at the chequered flag.
Qualifying-
ART Grand Prix’s Laurens van Hoepen earned his first pole position in FIA Formula 3, with a 1:33.995 coming in the nick of time. The Dutch driver finished the session on top and ahead of teammate Nikola Tsolov in P2, while title contender Leonardo Fornaroli took third for Trident.
There was a late red flag as another contender Luke Browning spun into the barriers on his final attempt, ending the session early.
With tyre preparation laps complete, AIX Racing’s Joshua Dufek set the initial pace with a 1:34.414 ahead of teammates Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Nikita Bedrin in a 1-2-3 for the team.
There was more vying for track position ahead of the second attempts but this time it was van Hoepen that took over at the top, setting a 1:34.316 until Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon secured P1 with a 1:34.174.
Further back and with clear track, Fornaroli was next to go quickest but it was very closely run. The Italian driver went just 0.001s quicker than Leon to secure provisional pole.
Van Hoepen returned to the top as the first into the 1:33s ahead of teammate Tsolov in P2. Fornaroli put himself in third just as the red flags came out as title rival Browning found the barriers at Turn 11, bringing the session to a conclusion and those behind unable to improve.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Van Hoepen, P2: Tsolov, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Leon, P5: Ramos, P6: Dufek, P7: Mehuetounif, P8: Browning, P9: Tramnitz and P10: Mansell.
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.
Maini suffered wheelspin off the line from pole and dropped to fourth while Martins profited to take the lead on the run to the first corner. Ritomo Miyata swept around the outside at Turn 1 to go from fourth to second, ahead of Correa and Maini.
On lap 2 and Maini made a late dive to the inside of Correa at the opening corner to recover one position. Teammate Gabriel Bortoleto followed him through at Turn 4.
In the battle for seventh, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar fought hard early on, though the Campos Racing driver was unable to find a route through on the PREMA Racing talent.
By lap 10, Martins was able to escape from DRS range of Miyata behind and led by 1.5s, while the Japanese driver held a 1.1s advantage over Maini in the podium places.
Antonelli had dropped out of DRS range to Paul Aron ahead and after a long time of trying, Hadjar finally cleared the PREMA driver into Turn 1 on lap 12.
With 10 laps to go, track limits became a problem for Miyata, and the Rodin driver was assigned a five-second penalty for one too many breaches. He earned a second time penalty in his struggle to remain ahead of Maini to bring that total up to 10 second with five laps remaining.
Further back, Hadjar lost seventh to Crawford as both DAMS cars looked to be taking better care of the tyres than those ahead. Correa was pressuring Bortoleto for the final podium place, but the Brazilian was able to fend him off to maintain position.
Onto the penultimate lap and a sizeable lock-up into Turn 5 was evidence of how hard Bortoleto was pushing to keep Correa behind. However, it gave the American a run into Turn 10 and after diving to the inside, he claimed fourth on the road.
Aron was next to clear Bortoleto, rounding the Invicta driver at Turn 3 on the final lap to take P5, as two corners later Crawford followed through to take sixth from him.
The full top 10 are- P1: Martins, P2: Maini, P3: Aron, P4: Crawford, P5: Bortoleto, P6: Hadjar, P7: Miyata, P8: Correa, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Durksen.
Day 3-
Pole sitter Paul Aron got the perfect launch to lead into Turn 1 ahead of Crawford and Colapinto. Further back, contact sent Victor Martins and Dennis Hauger spinning into the gravel at Turn 2 leaving both out of the race.
Isack Hadjar was the biggest winner, moving up from 11th to fifth in the opening half lap prior to the Safety Car deployed for Hauger and Martins’.
Racing resumed on lap 4 and Aron retained the lead, escaping over a second clear to move out of DRS range to Crawford behind.
Lap 8 and the hard compound runners began to benefit over those on softs, with Joshua Duersken taking fifth from Hadjar into Turn 1. Crawford was in from second at the end of the lap, with Ritomo Miyata and Zak O’Sullivan following the DAMS driver in from inside the top 10.
Gabriel Bortoleto pitted on lap 11 for Invicta Racing, filtering back out in P14 behind Crawford but with warm tyres, O’Sullivan was able to pass him on the outlap to take the position.
Leader Aron was called into the pits and Colapinto followed him in on lap 12. The Hitech rejoined ahead of Crawford but with the DAMS driver on his rear wing. Through turn 3, the American driver took ninth from Aron, while Colapinto retained position over Bortoleto.
Duerksen had been the leader and yet to pit on the alternative strategy but on lap 18, he slowed to a half in the middle sector to bring out another Virtual Safety Car. His stoppage handed the lead over to Juan Manuel Correa, who was also yet to pit.
Racing resumed on lap 20, and Colapinto put Bortoleto under immediate pressure, with the Invicta driver getting his elbows out to keep the place. Just behind them, Aron got the slipstream to take 10th from O’Sullivan at Turn 2. One lap later and Hadjar eased by the ART driver at Turn 1.
With 10 laps to go, Correa pitted from the race lead for the soft compound, filtering back out onto the track in P9 just as Aron made a brave dive on Bortoleto into Turn 1 to take fifth.
As Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Amaury Cordeel pitted, Crawford retook the lead with Colapinto his closest rival for the win 3.6s behind in P2.
Onto lap 34, and Hadjar desposed Bortoelto for fifth while Invicta teammate Kush Maini gained seventh at the expense of Maloney on the run into Turn 1.
The Invicta teammate were nose to tail on the final lap and going wheel-to-wheel into the first corner collided with one another, leaving Bortoleto with front wing damage and Maini ahead in sixth.
The full top 10 are- P1: Crawford, P2: Colapinto, P3: Correa, P4: Aron, P5: Hadjar, P6: Maini, P7: Maloney, P8: Cordeel, P9: Marti and P10: Bortoleto.
Martinius Stenshorne led the way at the Barcelona free practice, as the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver completed a lap of 1:28.774 to top the timesheets ahead of Campos Racing’s Oliver Goethe and PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Mini.
After a quiet first half of the 45 minute session, the drivers head out on to the track for their flying laps of the day, and after the first efforts, it was Mini that went fastest.
The Championship leader completed a lap of 1:28.847 to go six-tenths clear at the front ahead of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon in second.
Next to go to the top of the timesheets was Campos’ Goethe, who set a time of 1:28.810, while his teammate Sebastian Montoya moved up to third behind Mini.
While most of the gird came back into the pitlane with 10 minutes left, Hitech Pulse Eight’s trio of drivers stayed out on track. Stenshorne then went quickest with a 1:28.774 while Luke Browning was two-tenths back in fourth as Cian Shields went to P8.
As the session entered into the final five minutes, the red flags were waved with Campos’ Mari Boya in the barrier at Turn 1. The home favourite appeared to suffer an issue on the run down the main straight sending him through the gravel and then into the wall.
Qualifying-
Christian Mansell is set to start Formula 3’s 100th race from Pole Position after he beat PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad to top spot in a dramatic qualifying.
The ART Grand Prix driver set a 1:28.463 on his final attempt in the session to take his maiden Pole in the category, with Lindblad ending up second just 0.036s off the pace, while Mansell’s teammate Nikola Tsolov was third.
After the first set of laps, it was the third ART driver Laurens van Hoepen who went fastest. The Dutchman’s time of 1:29.187 saw him beat Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli to the top spot by less than a tenth.
The drivers then returned to the pitlane and strapped on a second set of Pirelli hard tyres in preparation for the next set of push laps. As they crossed the line to complete the second flying efforts it was Luke Browning that went fastest with a 1:28.888.
On the final runs, the fastest effort changed hands multiple times before Mansell eclipsed Lindblad’s time by just 0.036s with his lap of 1:28.463 giving him his first Formula 3 pole position.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Mansell, P2: Lindblad, P3: Tsolov, P4: Browning, P5: Goethe, P6: Fornaroli, P7: Stenshorne, P8: Van Hoepen, P9: Dunne and P10: Boya.
Despite a slower getaway than fellow front row starter Bortoleto, Barnard was able to keep a hold of the lead while Hauger tucked into third. However, a safety car was required after Victor Martins’ race ended early in the barriers at Turn 1.
The ART Grand Prix driver appeared to collide with DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford and Campos Racing’s Josep Maria Marti, taking off his front wing and sending him into the wall.
At the restart, Barnard kept a hold of the lead, but the Safety Car was deployed again on lap 6 when Marti crashed into the wall at the swimming pool section. Racing then resumed on lap 8 and by the end of the next tour of the track, the top four from Barnard to Andrea Kimi Antonelli were separated by a second and a half.
The Virtual Safety Car was then deployed on lap 11 after Richard Verschoor sustained damage on his front wing after hitting the apex at Mirabeua. The Trident driver appeared to receive a tap from Joshua Duerksen causing him to lose control.
Out in front, Barnard’s lead over Bortoleto was now over two seconds by the start of lap 19, the Brazilian driver now coming under pressure from Hauger.
Bearman’s day was made worse when he a slow moment out of Portier following an issue which dropped him down a few places. This promoted Maloney to 11th, who was looking to dive down the inside of Zak O’Sullivan for P10.
The Championship leader’s day then came to an end at La Rascasse after he locked up into the corner before being sent into a spin by Juan Manuel Correa. This also left Maini without a place to go causing him to stop next to Maloney, with the track blocked it triggered a red flag.
Racing got back underway with a rolling start on lap 26 and Barnard was now nearly four seconds clear of Bortoleto as they rounded the track for the 28th time.
As they started the final lap, the gap out front was five seconds leaving Barnard to cross the line in first, giving him and AIX Racing their maiden Formula 2 victory. Boroleto finished in P2 while Hauger followed him across the line to take P3.
The full top 10 are- P1: Barnard, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Hauger, P4: Antonelli, P5: Colapinto, P6: Stanek, P7: Aron, P8: Hadjar, P9: Fittipaldi and P10: O’Sullivan.
Day 4-
Richard Verschoor made a fast start from pole in the Trident, but his fellow front row starter Victor Martins fell down the order. It allowed Hadjar and Aron to move up to second and third.
Further back, Gabriel Bortoleto was using his supersoft tyres well as he went round the outside of Dennis Hauger at the Turn 6 hairpin putting him up to eighth. He was right behind Oliver Bearman who made his way up from 12th to P7.
It was not good news however for DAMS Lucas Oil driver Jak Crawford, who stopped on track at Turn 7 after colliding with the Invicta Racing car of Kush Maini.
On lap 4 of 42, Verschoor was being put under pressure by Hadjar, while Aron was falling back in third. Just behind the top three, Colapinto was feeling the presence of PREMA’s Antonelli for P4.
The drivers then held station but by lap 10, Bortoleto was given the hurry up from his Invicta Racing team and told to catch berman ahead.
Trouble came for Trident and Verschoor, with the Dutch driver coming on the radio to report an issue. The Dutchman was able to keep things going but his three second lead to Hadjar was now gone.
At the halfway stage, Hitech and PREMA rolled the dice by pitting Aron and Antonelli for the supersoft tyres. The latter came out ahead his teammmate Bearman, though the two went wheel to wheel and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent claimed the position.
On lap 36, Hadjar came on the radio to say he had hit the wall but was able to continue, although he was still coming under attack from Aron. Elsewhere, Maloney and Barnard made contact at the Turn 6 hairpin, with the AIX racer losing a piece of his front wing.
Lap 40, Joshua Duerksen was next to pit but collided with Maloney at Turn 1. The AIX driver stopped on track while the Rodin Motorsport driver continued on.
This gave Zak O’Sullivan, the last remaining runner on the alternative strategy yet to pit, the chance to come in from the lead. Crucially, he was called in by ART moments before the VSC was deployed, making his stop under VSC legal.
The Brit re-joined ahead of Hadjar on the penultimate lap before holding him off on a tense final lap to take his maiden victory in Formula 2.
The full top 10 are- P1: O’Sullivan, P2: Hadjar, P3: Aron, P4: Bearman, P5: Correa, P6: Hauger, P7: Antonelli, P8: Bortoleto, P9: Martins and P10: Maloney.
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.
Christian Mansell will return for a second FIA Formula 3 campaign in 2024, where he will partner up with ART Grand Prix after a season with Campos Racing.
The 18 year old secured two podium finishes in his rookie year in the Silverstone Sprint Race and Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race, for which he earned the Dallara Award for Best Comeback of the Year.
After concluding the campaign 12th in the Standings, he completed all three post-season tests with the French outfit alongside an appearance at the Macau Grand Prix.
Mansell’s racing journey began in karting back at home in Australia, before stepping up single seaters in 2019 with appearances in the New South Wales Formula Race Car Championship and the Australian Formula 4 Championship.
Moving to the UK, he made a strong first impression in his 2020 British F4 campaign, where he scored one win and five podiums, he finished seventh in the Standings and was crowned the Rookie’s Cup Champion. In 2021 he joined the GB3 Championship grid, achieving two wins and five podiums to secure third.
The following year, he fought for the title in Euroformula Open, ultimately finishing third with three wins and a further 12 podium finishes to his name. In addition, he also made F3 debut with a two-round appearance for Charouz Racing System in Budapest and Spa.
I’m super happy to sign with ART Grand Prix for the 2024 FIA Formula 3 season. I’m looking forward to working with the team to achieve better results in the Teams’ Championship and for myself as a driver next year. I’ve already competed in Macau with the team, so I’m very well integrated into the ART Grand Prix group, and I could not be happier. I’m really excited to start this new journey and I’m eagerly anticipating the upcoming race in Bahrain!
Mansell on the news.
Christian has shown he has a good ability to learn and progress with a strong second half of the 2023 season. He confirmed his qualities to the team during the off-season tests and in Macau. In 2024, he will have everything he needs to blossom and achieve both his goals as well as those of the team.
Laurens Van Hoepen will step up to FIA Formula 3 next season with ART Grand Prix.
The 18 year old moves to Formula 3 having completed two seasons in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine with ART. He finished 10th in 2023, taking two podium finishes at his home event in Zandvoort.
Prior to that, he earned national success in karting, including a IAME Euro Series title in the X30 Mini class in 2017 before moving up to single seaters.
Speaking about the prospect of racing in F3, Van Hoepen said that he was looking forward to carrying on the momentum from post-season testing with the team.
I’m really happy to make the step up to FIA F3 with ART Grand Prix. This will be my third year working with the team and over the past two years, we have really gotten to know each other well, and we have shown that in the positive F3 tests. Next year will be exciting and I fully trust that ART Grand Prix and I can do a good job.
Van Hoepen on the news.
Despite a difficult environment in 2023, Laurens has always been a fighter and helped the team to turn things around. During his first F3 test, he quickly found his feet and developed a good relationship with the engineers. His qualities as a driver and fighter will be invaluable in a complex championship that leaves nothing to chance.
Getting a better launch off the line, Vesti stole the inside line into Turn 1 and went side by side with Fittipaldi, though the Rodin Carlin driver emerged out of Turn 3 ahead.
Capitalising on their duel, Hadjar and Verschoor made it four wide down the back straight. Both managed to slip past either side of Vesti and demote the title contender to fourth. In contrast, Championship leader Pourchaire was already on the cusp of points, climbing from P14 to ninth.
The Safety Car was deployed at the end of the opening lap after Juan Manuel Correa spun at Turn 3. Victor Martins found himself caught up in it leaving him with nosecone damage and forcing him to pit for repairs.
Back to racing conditions on lap 6, Fittipaldi aced his restart, immediately pulling half a second clear of Hadjar. Vesti wasted no time making up for lost ground, squeezing up alongside Verschoor down to Turn 6 to snatch third.
On the fringes of the points, Jack Doohan steadily made his way up from P10, swooping ahead of Ayumu Iwasa after the DAMS driver went wide out of Turn 9. Meanwhile Pourchaire was trying to put together a charge of his own, going late on the brakes to wrestle eighth from Kush Maini and nosing his own way past Iwasa for 7th.
Told to push for the fastest lap, Vesti began hunting down Hadjar and was on the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver’s tail by the time they reached Lap 10. Hadjar opted to go early on the defence but couldn’t stop the Mercedes junior’s charge, as Vesti took third around the outside of Turn 9.
Vesti loomed large in Fittipaldi’s mirrors and was eyeing up moves for the lead. A lock up by the Rodin Carlin car handed Vesti a chance, but he too locked up through the Turn 5 hairpin. Fittipaldi tried to break the tow, but another mistake at the same corner three laps later was the moment for Vesti.
Benefitting from better grip, he dived up the inside of the Brazilian into Turn 6 to snatch the lead. Instantly breaking free of Fittipaldi behind, Vesti pulled out of the DRS window and reached the chequered flag a comfortable 3.8 seconds clear of the Red Bull Junior.
Day 3-
Doohan held the lead comfortably at lights out while Kush Maini cleared Martins to take second, with the latter opting for mediums for the start. Further back, Vesti was up to eighth at Turn 1, passing Richard Verschoor having also started on the yellow-walled tyres.
Starting on the softs, Pourchaire was on the cusp of the points by the end of the opening lap, but an opportunistic Oliver Bearman snatched 10th from the ART driver to leave him 11th going into lap 2.
Those on softs nursed their tyres in the early stages, and Iwasa was in as soon as the pitstop window opened on lap 7, he was joined by Pourchaire both swapping to the medium compound tyres and rejoining in 19th and 20th respectively.
Zane Maloney, Isack Hadjar and Dennis Hauger made their way to the pits on lap 9 for their mandatory stops, but a slow release for the Hitech driver dropped him behind the Norwegian on pit exit. Pourchaire was ahead of all three after a dive to the inside of Hauger at Turn 5 as he continued to make the most of his fresh rubber.
Having led from the start, Doohan relinquished the lead on lap 10 to fit the mediums. The Australian was back out in 12th position, three seconds clear of Maini, who found himself under pressure from Iwasa.
Now in clear air, Vesti set about closing the gap to new leader Martins who was six seconds up the road. That gap was down to four seconds by lap 15 as the PREMA driver took a minimum of two-tenths of a second per lap out of the Alpine Junior’s advantage.
After forcing Iwasa to depend one lap earlier, Maloney was pressuring the Dams for P5 on the road as the Japanese driver desperately attempted to keep him back. The Rodin Carlin man fought his way by at Turn 6 and was late on the brakes at Turn 9 in his efforts to keep the position, but Iwasa bravely fought back around the outside to hold on.
On lap 26, Vesti managed to pass Pourchaire into Turn 6 and once again, Pourchaire slipstreamed his way past by Turn 9. It was third time lucky for Vesti as he waited for DRS out of Turn 8 to clear his championship rival and claim fifth position.
Entering the final lpa of the season, Vesti drew to within DRS range of Maloney in the fight for third. The Bajan driver went defensive into Turn 6 opening up the chance for Vesti on the run to Turn 9. The pair banged wheel on corner exit, sending Maloney into a spin and leaving the PREMA driver in third.
Doohan secured a comfortable victory by 3.8s from Martins with Vesti rounding out the podium, but it was Pourchaire and ART Grand Prix’s day, as they secured the double with the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles.
Williams, have announced that American racer Lia Block will be representing them on the 2024 F1 Academy grid, as she joins their Driver Academy programme.
Block has already made a name for herself competing in rally, Extreme E and rallycross, becoming the youngest American Rally Association champion in history when she won the Open Two-Wheel Drive class this year.
2024 will see the 17 year old undertake her first full season in open-wheel racing, driving for ART Grand Prix in F1 Academy alongside McLaren junior, Bianca Bustamante.
All 10 current Formula 1 teams will have one driver and have their livery on a car competing in the all-female F1 Academy from 2024.
I am so excited to be joining the Williams Driver Academy and competing in F1 Academy in 2024! This is something I never could have dreamed of. I can’t wait to embrace this new experience and learn as much as possible.
Block on the news.
We are excited to welcome Lia to Williams Racing as our F1 Academy driver for 2024. Lia has already achieved a tremendous amount in motorsport, has incredible natural talent, and the champion mindset and dedication to make a success of her journey into open-wheel racing. We cannot wait to get started on this journey together. As a team, we are committed to Formula 1 and F1 Academy’s joint efforts to improve female representation in motorsport, and we look forward to working with Lia as a key part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy.
Vowles on the news.
Extreme sports are part of Lia’s DNA and her debut in high-profile international competitions attest to her talent and her adaptability to a wide range of demanding environments. At 17 years old, Lia is driven with a great determination and an appetite for major challenges, that should allow her to quickly find her place on our team and in the F1 Academy.
ART Grand Prix Team Principal, Sebastien Philippe.
F1 Academy racer, Bianca Bustamante has become the newest addition to the McLaren Driver Development programme, with the 18 year old making history as the first female driver to join the British team’s development programme.
Born in the Philipines, Bustamante made her single-seater debut in 2022, competing in W Series, where she claimed the top rookie honours. This year, she joined the grid for the inaugural F1 Academy season with PREMA Racing, earning two wins and two podiums.
As part of the programme, Bustamante will represent McLaren on the 2024 F1 Academy grid and run their livery, switching to race with ART Grand Prix.
Her involvement in the McLaren Driver Development programme, led by Emanuele Pirro, will see her join the team’s talent pipeline which has an overarching aim to help drivers progress towards Formula 1, IndyCar and Formula E.
This is such an unreal moment in my career, to sign with McLaren and ART Grand Prix is way beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined growing up racing karts in the Philippines. I still have a hard time seeing my name next to McLaren without getting emotional, as the history and heritage linked to this team leaves me truly speechless. I’m so grateful for this opportunity as I believe I now have the best possible development structure around me to take the next step up in my career, and for this I am so thankful. 2023 was all about improving my speed which I demonstrated across several races this year, but in 2024 my aim is to establish consistency and improve my mental strength in order to make a title challenge in the coming F1 Academy season. For now, my focus is to finish off the F1 Academy season strongly here in Austin, but we’ll get to work immediately on the 2024 season. I’ve never been more motivated in my life! A big thanks goes to Susie Wolff and the team at F1 Academy for fighting so hard for us girls and to give us this opportunity to be the best we can be. Additional thanks go to Zak Brown, Andrea Stella, Emanuele Pirro, Sebastian Philippe, my sponsors, and all my supporters for believing in me and making this all possible. I am full of gratitude, and I promise to give it my all.
Bianca on the news.
The team are delighted for Bianca to join us, and for McLaren to be involved in F1 Academy. It’s a core principle of ours to be a diverse and inclusive team, so we’re pleased to be so involved in Formula 1’s work on the important topic of improving gender diversity within motorsport. We also look forward to seeing Bianca grow and progress within the McLaren Racing Driver Development programme under Emanuele’s guidance.
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s Team Principal.
I’m pleased that Bianca is joining our Driver Development programme. She’s a promising young talent who has a brilliant work ethic and is aligned closely to our team’s values. I look forward to working with Bianca on her development as a racing driver. We’re also excited for Bianca to be representing the team in the F1 Academy series and we look forward to seeing her race in papaya in 2024.
Emanuele Pirro, Director of the McLaren Racing Driver Development.
Reserve pole sitter, Vesti got things underway with a rolling start, pulling well clear of Isack Hadjar, Pourchaire and Bearman, who dispatched Enzo Fittipaldi with a brave move around the out of Becketts.
Further down the order, Brad Benavides spun off at the loop after being tagged by Clement Novalak, as the pair tried to avoid a slowing Ayumu Iwasa.
Once the safety car went in on Lap 3, Vesti once again nailed his getaway steadily began building his advantage out front. Teammate Bearman wasted no time dispatching two cars in one lap.
Fittipaldi and Victor Martins were locked in battle over sixth. From the loop, the pair were side-by-side until the Rodin car was able to sweep into Copse to keep the position.
As conditions slowly improved, Doohan caught Bearman on lap 11 to set up fight for the remaining laps. Up ahead, Pourchaire utilised his better traction out of Club to snatch second from Hadjar on Lap 12.
Doohan and Bearman then resumed their battle on lap 17. Desperate to keep the place after Doohan got alongside him out of Stowe, Bearman locked-up into Vale and ended running up into the gravel.
The full top 10 are- P1: Vesti, P2: Pourchaire, P3: Doohan, P4: Fittipaldi, P5: Hadjar, P6: Bearman, P7: Martins, P8: Leclerc, P9: Nissany and P10: Maloney.
Day 3-
Ayumu Iwasa got a lightning start from third, immediately getting the better of pole sitter Martins off the line. However, the ART Grand Prix instantly fought it back, diving up the inside of the loop to retake the lead.
Meanwhile, second-place Kush Maini got bogged down off the line, allowing Oliver Bearman to move up into third and Enzo Fittipaldi dived up past Jack Doohan for fourth.
Martins already had a 4.5s advantage before the first Safety Car arrived on Lap 7 following a spin for Amaury Cordeel at Stowe. The ART driver and the top six soft tyre runners took the opportunity to complete their mandatory stops.
Racing resumed on lap 11, Hadjar was able to put a gap between himself and Leclerc, while Doohan lost out to both Maloney and Pourchaire. Further back, Championship leader Frederik Vesti was caught up in a crash at Vale, tagged from behind by Dennis Hauger. The contact knocking him straight into Roman Stanek’s Trident, triggering a second Safety Car.
On Lap 17, Martins was handed a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage just as the Safety Car made a third appearance of the day.
The full top 10 are- P1: Martins, P2: Maloney, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Doohan, P5: Iwasa, P6: Daruvala, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Bearman, P9: Leclerc and P10: Crawford.
DAMS’ Ayumu Iwasa kicked off Round 9 in style around Silverstone, laying down a 1:41.593 in the final minutes of a disrupted Free Practice to top the session by 0.060s from Victor Martins.
Martins got the first competitive lap of the day on board after the first 10 minutes of the session. The ART driver put down a 1:42.690 put him five tenths ahead of Iwasa before improving further to a 1:42.067.
Running stopped at the 24 minute mark, due to Juan Manuel Correa losing his rear of the Van Amersfoort Racing Car spinning off into the gravel at Copse which resulted in a red flag.
With just over 15 minutes left, Martins quickly took advantage to leapfrog teammate Pourchaire for P2. The Alpine junior wasn’t done there as he improved to a 1:41.653, before the VSC made an appearance as Dennis Hauger suffered a spin at Brooklands and couldn’t get his car restarted.
Qualifying-
Victor Martins will start from P1 for the second time in the space of a week. The Frenchman was the man to beat once again in Qualifying, setting a 1:39.832 to secure the top spot around Silverstone.
Kush Maini made a late improvement to jump up to P2 for Campos Racing late on, whilst Ayumu Iwasa moved himself up into third with his final effort.
Practice pacesetter, Iwasa was quick to set the early benchmark with a 1:41.100 matched exactly by his teammate Arthur Leclerc to the thousandth.
The first of two red flags came at the 19 minute mark after Amaury Cordeel spun off into the barriers at Copse. After the Invicta Virtuosi car had been recovered, a short green flag spell was broken by the second red flag.
The full top 10 are- P1: Martins, P2: Maini, P3: Iwasa, P4: Doohan, P5: Bearman, P6: Fittipaldi, P7: Maloney, P8: Pourchaire, P9: Hadjar and P10: Vesti.
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.
Gabriel Bortoleto hit the ground running in Spielberg, setting the track record with a 1:19.410 to top the free practice session for Trident.
The Brazilian driver was 0.148s quicker than Jenzer Motorsport’s Taylor Barnad, while Gabriele Mini left it late to take third for Hitech Pulse-Eight.
Once the tyre preparation laps were complete, Paul Aron set the initial benchmark to beat with a 1:21.998 on his first effort. The Estonian’s 1:21.205 was three-tenths quicker than PREMA Racing teammate Dino Beganovic, who had a heart-in-mouth moment shortly after.
With just over 16 minutes remaining the red flags were out after Sebastian Montoya beached his Hitech car in the gravel trap on the outside of Turn 7.
Once the session resumed with 12 minutes remaining, everyone returned to the track. ART Grand Prix’s Saucy was the first in the queue with prime track position and set a 1:20.306 for the rest to beat.
Qualifying-
ART Grand Prix’s Gregoire Saucy secured his first Formula 3 pole position in Spielberg after a dramatic qualifying session around the Red Bull Ring. PREMA Racing’s Paul Aron had ended the session fastest of all but dropped to P4 after exceeding track limits.
His demotion moved Saucy up into P1 and PREMA teammate Dino Beganovic onto the front row. While Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto secured third place in his Trudent.
With patches of rain on the weather radars, everyone was out immediately at the green light. Caio Collet led the way as the rest jostled for Track position and the Van Amersfoort driver set the first time to beat.
With 15 minutes gone, Beganovic headed up Aron, Gabriel Bortoleto, Josep Maria Marti and Gabriele Mini in the top five. After everyone returned to the pits to fit a fresh set of the soft Pirelli tyres, the track was busy once again with under 10 minutes remaining.
There were improvements throughout the field, but nobody could leap ahead of either PREMA driver prior to the final two minutes of the session.
The full top 10 are: P1: Saucy, P2: Beganovic, P3: Bortoleto, P4: Aron, P5: Collet, P6: O’Sullivan, P7: Colapinto, P8: Goethe, P9: Frederick and P10: Mansell.
ART Grand Prix have announced Chloe grant as their third and final driver, becoming the fourth team to complete their line-up for the all-new, all-female racing series.
The British driver will be partnering up with Lena Buhler, and Carrie Schreiner at the French team.
Grant began her karting career aged seven, racing in the East of Scotland Kart Club. After finishing third and second in consecutive years in their Cadet Championship, she secured the 2017 ESKC Junior Championship title in the Minimax class.
In 2020, she became the youngest driver to earn a Motorsport UK Junior Racing Driver Licence in Scotland, before winning the CKRC and BWRDC Kart Sport Championship titles. This was followed by a switch to car racing in 2021, where she drove in the Junior Saloon Car Championship.
Moving over to the UK’s GB4 Championship the following year, Grant finished ninth in the standings, achieving 10 top 10 finishes in the final 12 races of the season.
I am really excited to contest this season with ART Grand Prix. We share the same ambition for winning and with the history and victory that ART Grand Prix carries, I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together. It’s a privilege to join their long list of successful and talented drivers. The F1 Academy presents an opportunity to us female drivers that we haven’t seen before, and I know we have a competitive inaugural grid. I can’t wait to get started!
Grant on her new seat.
ART Grand Prix is happy to accompany Chloe in her first year of international competition. Last season, she showed a glimpse of her talent and determination, which had already enabled her to have a great career in karting. This development corresponds perfectly to the philosophy of our Company, which is proud to participate in this new sporting and individual journey.
Jordan's Track Talk 