Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Carlin

  • Carlin confirm 2023 line-up

    Carlin has confirmed its FIA Formula 2 line-up for the 2023 season, with Enzo Fittipaldi switching to the team, as well as FIA F3 graduate and vice champion, Zane Maloney.

    Both drivers, are newly announced Red Bull Junior Team drivers for the 2023 season and arrive at Carlin after successful 2022 campaigns.

    Fittipaldi already has one full F2 season under his already with Charouz Racing System in ’22, where he took six podium finishes on the way to finish eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.

    He first moved to single seater racing full time in 2017, racing in the Italian F4 Championship and finishing 9th. He then followed that up with a full season in Italian and ADAC F4 in 2018 finishing 1st and 3rd respectively.

    The Brazilian then went on to finish second in Formula Regional European Championship with two wins and 13 podiums to his name in 2019. Moving to FIA F3 in 2020 brought a difficult spell in 2020, with HWA Racelab in 2020 and Charouz Racing System in 2021. Fittipaldi was promoted to Charouz’s F2 team mid mid-way through ’21 but suffered a serious accident in Jeddah at the penultimate round of the year.

    He rebounded from that setback though in style, putting together a strong F2 season with multiple podiums and fighting for top rookie honours.

    I’m extremely excited to be joining Carlin and as well to be part of the Red Bull family for the 2023 season. It’s an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait for the first race weekend in Bahrain.

    Fittipaldi on his announcement.

    Maloney arrives at Carlin after one of his best seasons in racing. He sparked a late title bid with three-consecutive Feature race wins to close the season, ending up only just five points from glory.

    He has worked with the team previously, winning the British F4 Championship in his first year of single seater racing back in 2019.

    In 2020, he moved to Euroformula Open with the British outfit, finishing that year’s season eighth. Moving to Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2021, winning once and achieving seven podiums on the way to fourth.

    The Bajan driver stepped up to FIA Formula 3 with Trident last year, and after a tough spell at the start of the campaign, transformed his season. He took three wins and four podiums, in the final four races made Maloney an unlikely title contender. His efforts won him FIA Rookie of the Year in 2022.

    Joining Carlin in F2 and to do so as part of the Red Bull Junior Team is a fantastic opportunity after my first year of F3 last season. I’m re-joining a team I know extremely well and have won a championship with before in F4. I’ve seen first-hand how strong the team are in F2 and we had a great test together last year in Abu Dhabi. To embark on this journey in Red Bull colours is a dream come true and I’m incredibly excited to get the season underway in Bahrain next month.

    Maloney on his new seat.

    As a Team boss, Enzo and Zane are a dream pairing with both experience and potential. Enzo was a driver who really caught our attention last year and will be looking to build on the strong results he had in his rookie season. Zane was incredibly impressive in his rookie season of F3 and it’s fantastic to welcome him back to Carlin. He certainly needs to focus on building his experience in the first half of the season but I think by the mid-way point we’ll start to see some real flashes of potential.

    Trevor Carlin, Team Principal.

  • Gray steps up to F3

    Carlin have announced that British Formula 4 Vice-Champion, Oliver Gray will step up to Formula 3 with them for the 2023 campaign, with Williams confirming that the young Brit will continue as part of their Driver Academy for another year.

    Last year, the 17 year old finished as runner-up in the F4 British Championship with Carlin, claiming an impressive 16 podiums, two wins and two pole positions in his only second season of single-seater racing.

    Prior to making his debut in cars, Gray enjoyed karting success in the UK and Europe. He achieved the 2019 Motorsport UK Kartmasters and British Karting Championship titles at the X30 junior level, alongside taking the Vice Champion honours in the IAME Euro Series.

    Graduating to single-seaters for the 2021 British F4 season, he took two wins and two pole positions on his way to finish seventh in the standings. As well as making a two-round appearance in Italian F4 – earning him a spot in the Williams Driver Academy.

    I’m super excited to be making the step up to F3 next season. I’m indebted to my sponsors and for the belief that Williams and Carlin have shown in me. Hopefully this will be the first year of a two-year programme in F3, so the aim this season will be to really learn as much as possible about the car, circuits and tyres, all of which will be new to me. To be able to embark on that with the team at Carlin is a dream come true and I can’t wait to get going.

    Gray on his new seat.

    Ollie was a complete pleasure to have in the team last season and we really believe in his potential. It’s a big step up to FIA F3, which is an incredibly competitive championship so it will be a steep learning curve. Making steady but recognisable progress with every event will be the aim, and Ollie has the attitude and talent to be able to do that.

    Carlin Team Principal, Trevor Carlin.

  • Yeany switches to Carlin

    Carlin have announced Hunter Yeany as their first signing for the 2023 Formula 3 season, with the American making the move over from Campos Racing for next year.

    Having made his F3 debut in 2021 with a two-round appearance for Charouz Racing System, Yeany’s full time move to the championship for 2022 was curtailed after he suffered a broken wrist during the Spielberg Sprint Race, forcing the 17 year old to miss out on seven races.

    Bouncing back from the injury, he returned for the final round in Monza and followed that up with two days of running for Carlin at the post-season test in Jerez in late September.

    Prior to moving over to the European racing scene, Yeany made a name for himself back on home turf. In 2020, he claimed the F4 USA Championship title in a dominant fashion, snatching eight wins and a further six podiums – on his way to being their youngest-ever Champion.

    From there, he made the step up to Formula Regional Americas CHampionship, alongside gaining single-seater experience in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship, as well as the GB3 Championship in the UK.

    I’m really excited to announce that I will be racing with Carlin in Formula 3 next year. Carlin was the first team I ever tested with in Europe, so it feels like a bit of a coming home! Let’s rock it in 2023!

    Yeany on his move.

    We are really happy to be able to confirm that Hunter will join the team for the 2023 FIA F3 season. We thoroughly enjoyed working with Hunter in the post-season test, it was nice for us to have a driver with some experience of the FIA F3 car to give us some direction, so I look forward to continuing that relationship. We feel Hunter has far more potential than he has shown, especially because he missed a handful of races due to injury last year. I know that we will be able to hit the ground running come pre-season testing in Bahrain.

    Trevor Carlin, Team Principal.

  • F1 Academy announces five teams

    The all woman F1 Academy series have confirmed the team line-up for the inaugural campaign in 2023.

    Five veteran outfits in junior categories have confirmed their entries for next year with ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, Carlin, MP Motorsport and PREMA Racing fielding three cars each to comprise the 15 car grid.

    Each team has an established history in junior racing including the Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships, and will now be adding the all-women driver category to their motorsport setup from next year.

    F1 Academy focuses on young women drivers emerging in the junior ranks and aiding them in progressing to the higher levels of single seater racing.

    The first season will include seven events and with such experienced teams forming the ’23 line up, the drivers will gain vital experience both in and out of the car, helping each achieve their full potential.

    It is exciting to be able to announce the five teams that will be racing in the F1 Academy for next year and who will be providing this fantastic opportunity to the young and talented women to begin their journey into competitive motorsport. We believe it is important that everyone has the chance to follow their ambitions and get the support and guidance needed to progress and excel. The F1 Academy is an important part of our plan to increase diversity and representation in motorsport and we are looking forward to the first season in 2023 and stay tuned for more news in this area.

    Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.

    I am very pleased to reveal the five teams entering the F1 Academy for the next three-year cycle, starting from 2023. We know them very well and we have been collaborating with each one for many years. They are well-known for their experience and expertise in nurturing and developing young drivers. I fully trust that they will give the drivers competing in the F1 Academy the keys to grow technically, and that they will help them with the physical and mental preparations for the journey ahead.

    Bruno Michel, General Manger of the 1 Academy.

  • F2 Abu Dhabi- Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    It was a frenetic start to the final sprint race of the 2022 season, but not for Verschoor who calmly kept his rivals behind him to retain the lead off the line.

    Jehan Daruvala and Enzo Fittipaldi collided and hit the barriers at Turn 3 and bringing out the Red Flag as the end of the opening lap. Slotting back into position for the rolling restart on Lap 3, Verschoor got a good getaway to hold the lead.

    The cooler early evening conditions left the field struggling to light up their tyres. After being passed by Frederol Vesti for P11, Ayumu Iwasa attempted to go round the outside of the Dane at Turn 9.

    Out front, Verschoor was unable to pull out of Lawson’s DRS window. It wouldn’t take long for Lawson to pounce on Lap 10 – going late on the brakes to catch the Trident driver by surprise and snatch the lead.

    A lock up for VAR driver Cordeel, allowed Drugovich to slot his way through into third and left Cordeel at the mercy of Hauger, who made his own move on the Belgian into Turn 6. Missing the corner, Hauger tactically gave the place back into Turn 10, in order to avoid losing out to Sargeant and Doohan behind.

    Lawson, had extended his advantage lap-by-lap and drove off into the distance to claim victory by a whopping 7.9s ahead of Verschoor and Drugovich.

    Day 3-

    Iwasa moved to cover off his teammate immediately at the start bu Roy Nissany had the momentum. The duo remained side-by-side into Turn 2 until the Red Bull junior claimed the lead heading down the hill into the hairpin.

    Drugovich made the move for P3 immediately as Theo Pourchaire went wide in the first corner and fell back to fifth as a result.

    At Turn 6, the Carlin teammates were fighting for position, with Lawson overtaking Sargeant out of the chicane for sixth. Into Turn 9, Ralph Boschung spun and couldn’t get going again, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car.

    There was a close call for Drugovich on Lap 13, into the Turn 6 braking zone, the MP driver thought about a late dive but had to bail on the move. He narrowly avoided running into the back of the DAMS driver and dropped to over a second behind Iwasa.

    Doohan finally pitted on Lap 26 after running further than everyone else barring Enzo Fittipaldi. He looked to be re-joining fifth on the road but after filtering back out on track, lost his front left tyre, forcing him out of the race.

    Onto the final lap and the gap for the win stood at just 0.5s. Drugovich, forced Iwasa to go on the defensive into Turn 6 and had DRS once again into Turn 9. Iwasa just about held Drugovich at bay to take his second win in F2. Lawson closed up at the end to make it two podiums from two in the final weekend.

  • F2 Spa- Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Greeted by cold and dry conditions, the mist loomed high over the Belgian hills and there were plenty of unknowns heading into the first race of the weekend after a lack of race runs in a highly disrupted practice session.

    Whilst Ralph Boschung assumed his spot on reverse grid pole on his return to the the track after suffering an injury, Jehan Daruvala’s day was brought to an early end before the lights had even gone out as the PREMA Racing driver pulled over on the reconnaissance lap.

    Unfortunately for the Swiss driver, the Belgian circuit isn’t short of overtaking opportunities. All over the back of the race leader, the Red Bull liveried Carlin sailed up into P1 along the Kemmel Straight.

    The race made a turn on Lap 11, Logan Sargeant lost his rear end on the exit of Pouhom and skidded into the barriers, triggering the Safety Car.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Lawson, P2: Doohan, P3: Boschung, P4: Drugovich, P5: Verschoor, P6: Pourchaire, P7: Armstrong, P8: Beckmann, P9: Iwasa and P10: Hauger.

    Day 3-

    Drugovich surged off the line and Doohan cleared Enzo Fittipaldi to take second into La Source. David Beckmann followed through down the Kemmel Straight on the Charouz Racing System at Les Combes to take third.

    Theo Pourchaire’s title hopes took a major hit, as he slid down the order and out of the race with an issue. Richard Verschoor took fifth from the Charouz on the next lap, using DRS.

    Fittipaldi and Sargeant were the first to pit for mediums on Lap 8, feeding back out in 14th and 15th places respectively. Lawson responded on the following lap, but it was a slow stop for the Carlin driver.

    Juri Vips and Lirim Zendeli were the first of those on mediums to swap to softs on Lap 15 whilst Verschoor and Iwasa continued to extend their stints at the front.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Drugovich, P3: Lawson, P4: Verschoor, P5: Fittipaldi, P6: Sargeant, P7: Beckmann, P8: Iwasa, P9: Vips and P10: Novalak.

  • F2 Le Castellet – Day 2 & 3

    F2 Le Castellet – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Daruvala got a great start from pole position but Lawson lagged behind him, the Carlin driver fell down the order into Turn 1, losing second to Armstrong and third to Drugovich momentarily, but a wide moment on corner exit left the MP Motorsport driver in the hands of Pourchaire.

    Lawson kept in touch with Armstrong ahead and made a late lunge into Turn 1 on lap 4. The pair battle through the first sector and somehow avoided contact, just millimetres apart at Turn 4. After making the move, the gap to race leader Daruvala stood at 2.2s but Lawson set about hunting him down, to cut it down by 1.6s by Lap 6 and by Lap 8 the Carlin driver broke into DRS range.

    The Safety Car offered a brief pause in action, deployed on Lap 9 following contact between Robert Merhi and the recovering Enzo Fittipaldi. The pair had been fighting for 15th position but a slide and spin in the North Chicane on the Mistral Straight left the Charouz in the middle of the track. Amaury Cordeel behind couldn’t avoid him and made contact, putting both out of the race.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Lawson, P2: Daruvala, P3: Drugovich, P4: Doohan, P5: Vesti, P6: Iwasa, P7: Pourchaire, P8: Sargeant, P9: Sato and P10: Beckmann.

    Pourchaire, Vips, Armstrong and Fittipaldi have all been penalised, Pourchaire originally crossed the line in P3.

    Day 3-

    After warmer temperatures played havoc earlier on in weekend, the field would have been thankful to have been greeted by cooler morning conditions in Le Castellet – allowing the grid to split their strategies.

    The top five opted to get things underway on the softer compound, but that didn’t help Logan Sargeant, who suffered wheel spin off the line and dropped down to third. There were contrasting fortunes at the front of the pack, as Doohan got a blistering start to streak into the lead in the opening two corners. However, the Australian driver had company in the form of Iwasa, who immediately put him under pressure.

    The Safety Car was swiftly deployed as the marshals picked up both Armstrong, and the stricken Marino Sato, who’s race ended early in the run-off section. Firing up his tyres early, Iwasa streaked ahead of Doohan on the restart, as Lawson boldly dived to the inside of Drugovich to take seventh.

    The pit stop was the undoing of Sargeant’s day as well on Lap 13. The Carlin driver was unable to pull away from his pit box and was forced to retire, having looked solidly in the fight for a podium spot.

    But it was Ayumu Iwasa who took the win and his first Formula 2 win! Theo Pouchaire cmae home to finish 2nd, and his teammate Frederick Vesti rounded out the podium in P3, a double podium for the ART GP team.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Iwasa, P2: Pourchaire, P3: Vesti, P4: Drugovich, P5: Doohan, P6: Lawson, P7: Daruvala, P8: Novalak, P9: Nissany and P10: Fittipaldi.

    We are back next weekend and we are in Hungary for Round 10, our last before summer break!

  • F2 Le Castellet – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Juri Vips became the driver to beat in the opening session in Le Castellet, clocking in a 1:46.501 to go over a tenth and a half clear of the pack in Free Practice. Ayumu Iwasa secured the second fastest time ahead of Frenchman, Theo Pourchaire.

    Although there are 167 different configurations of the Circuit Paul Ricard, the 22 car field took to the track to find the limit of it. However, that task is easier said than done as thermal tyre degradation left their rear wheel squealing for traction.

    Hauger got things underway with the first representative lap being laid down moments before Frederik Vesti brought a quick pause to proceedings. The ART GP driver, already experienced a delayed start to his running and shortly after getting out on track he came to a halt on the Mistral Straight.

    With 20 minutes left of the crucial 45 minute session, Pourchaire set his eyes on beating Iwasa to the fastest time. Despite the grid utilising the hard compound, keeping the tyres in their performance window proved a challenge especially in the final sector which saw several moments of oversteer.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Vips, P2: Iwasa, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Drugovich, P5: Daruvala, P6: Verschoor, P7: Armstrong, P8: Doohan, P9: Sargeant and P10: Fittipaldi.

    Qualifying-

    Logan Sargeant left it as late as possible to snatch pole position for the Feature Race in Le Castellet, narrowly edging out Ayumu Iwasa and Frederik Vesti by the slimmest of margins.

    Iwasa held provisional pole entering the final laps and Vesti couldn’t quite match him, ending up 0.023s down on the DAMS driver’s effort. Sargeant pulled out the time though, just 0.006s of it, but that was good enough for pole position Sunday.

    Drivers took extra care on their preparation laps to keep the soft compound as intact as possible for their flying laps with temperatures remaining high for the Qualifying session.

    Drivers boxed with 15 minutes remaining for the customary change of tyres. Enzo FIttipaldi didn’t join them though and was out of the car unable to take part in the final 10 minutes due to an issue on his car. Hauger joined the Brazilian on the sidelines shortly afters, as he came to a halt on the track and bringing out the red flags with just over seven minutes left of qualifying.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Sargeant, P2: Iwasa, P3: Vesti, P4: Doohan, P5: Pourchaire, P6: Drugovich, P7: Vips, P8: Armstrong, P9: Lawson and P10: Daruvala.

  • F2 Silverstone – Day 2 & 3

    F2 Silverstone – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    After two formation laps behind the Safety Car, it gave drivers a sight of the conditions they would be starting in. Jehan Daruvala led comfortably when the race did get going, as most drivers played it safe on the opening lap, apart from Jake Hughes who was the only one to capitalise and gain a place.

    Vesti and Drugovich went into combat on lap 2 and the pair were side by side through Village, banging tyres through the loop onto the Wellington Straight. But into Brooklands, Vesti dived to the inside and claimed eighth place from the MP driver.

    As the track continued to dry, some drivers started to complain of overheating wet tyres, but Doohan was finding a rhythm. He took from Juri Vips into Village on Lap Five, diving down the inside and claiming the place. Daruvala had already been complaining of graining rear tyres and Fittipaldi took full advantage.

    Once more, Doohan was on the move through the Village – Loop section, this time taking the lead from Fittipaldi on lap seven after the Brazilian went deep at Village. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson was struggling massively having sustained front wing damage, he was soon passed by both ART GP along with Drugovich to drop him to 9th. Carlin then pitted him for repairs that dropped him down to last at the end of the lap.

    But it was Jack Doohan who took his first F2 victory and the teams home win aswell. Iwasa came home to finish second and he was joined by Fittipaldi to round out the podium.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Iwasa, P3: Fittipaldi, P4: Pourchaire, P5: Drugovich, P6: Vesti, P7: Sargeant, P8: Daruvala, P9: Armstrong and P10: Verschoor.

    Day 3-

    The first American on pole in Formula 2 history, Sargeant nailed a perfect getaway at the lights went out, but the same couldn’t be said for Vesti who joined the pole man on the front row. Meanwhile his ART teammate Pourchaire dived down the middle to leap up from fourth to second off the line…

    There were changes up and down the top 10, as Lawson shot up into third from fifth, with fellow Red Bull junior, Iwasa slotting up into fourth having started sixth. Drugovich lost out to drop down to fifth, as Armstrong hopped up into the points-scoring places in P9.

    Their momentum, was stopped on Lap 2, as contact between Dennis Hauger and Roy Nissany brought out the safety car. Going wide into the Club chicane, Nissany dived back on to track and into the path of the PREMA, cutting back the DAMS driver tagged Hauger, launching the Norwegian driver over the top of his car. Luckily, both drivers got out of the car okay, and that’s the main thing! The Halo is doing its job once again…

    As the race drew towards its conclusion, time was of the essence to make moves stick. Vips got the better of his teammate for sixth. But on the cusp of his maiden victory, Sargeant’s work wasn’t over yet on the penultimate lap. Pourchaire was breathing down his neck as the ART had closed right within the one-second DRS window.

    But it was Logan Sargeant who was victorious at Silverstone, Pourchaire finished 2nd a good amount of points for the championship, and to make it an even better day for Carlin, Liam Lawson finishes 3rd!

    The full top 10 are- P1: Sargeant, P2: Pourchaire, P3: Lawson, P4: Drugovich, P5: Vesti, P6: Vips, P7: Daruvala, P8: Armstrong, P9: Doohan and P10: Hughes.

    We are back next week, for round 8 in Austria, as we have now reached the halfway point of the season! Who will be victorious at the Red Bull Ring?…

  • F2 Silverstone – Day 1

    F2 Silverstone – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Returning to the track where he secured back to back pole positions in Formula 3 in 2020, Logan Sargeant once again laid down the gauntlet for his rivals in the Free Practice session.

    The Carlin driver narrowly leaped ahead of Championship leader Felipe Drugovich setting a 1:40.902 to go 0.037s clear. Jack Doohan was content with third position. However, executing the perfect lap at the British circuit proved to be easier said than done.

    Dennis Hauger, had a few nervous moments of his own with a major spin at Abbey, one of the quickest corners on the track. The PREMA driver managed to save it and avoid the barriers.

    Running ground to a halt with just under 16 minutes remaining of the 45 minute session, as Calan Williams found the barriers at the exit of Copse losing the Tridents rear-end at the mid-corner bringing out the red flag.

    A queue of drivers were eager to get back out as soon as the lights went green with seven minutes to go. An improvement for Sargeant was enough for the American to hold onto the top spot as the session concluded under red flag conditions after Virtuosi’s Marino Sato came to a halt at Luffield with three minutes remaining.

    Qualifying-

    Logan Sargeant made it two from two on Friday, sealing pole position for the Feature Race after topping the earlier Free Practice session. Frederik Vesti outqualified his teammate and ended up P2 with Championship leader Felipe Drugovich securing third place ahead of Pourchaire.

    Drugovich’s first attempt was over as quickly as it started, going deep at village after locking up and subsequently running wide off track. Vesti was quickest after the initial times filtered in a 1:39.611 was the time to beat by the Dane, three-tenths quicker than Jack Doohan in P2.

    Jehan Daruvala had remained on track during the lull in action and lifted himself up to P2 and within two-tenths of Sargeant’s fastest effort. With 12 minutes remaining, drivers filtered back out onto track as the sun breached the cloud cover above the circuit.

    A yellow flag for the stranded Van Amersfoort Racing car of David Beckmann prevented drivers from setting two consecutive fast laps and with under five minutes remaining of the session, there wasn’t enough time left on the clock to relaunch an attack on pole.

  • F3 Silverstone – Day 1

    F3 Silverstone – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    All three MP Motorsport cars were on track immediately to make the only practice session of the weekend. The track started to fill up slowly with just under half the field during the opening 10 minutes.

    Barcelona Sprint Winner, David Vidales traded the top sport with Van Amersfoort Racing’s Franco Colapinto during the initial stages as representative times filtered through.

    Championship leader, Victor Martins was pushing the limits at Copse corner, which saw him run wide and scraping the floor over the exit kerbs, loosing his laptime for exceeding track limits in the process.

    Entering the final 10 minutes of the session, drivers started to search for a slipstream for the final fast laps. Despite almost dropping the car through several corners in the final sector, Hadjar wrestled his car across the line to post a 0.25s improvement to lover the benchmark to a 1:45.116.

    But it was an MP Motorsport double punch as Kush Maini leading his teammate, Caio Collet first and second respectively. Kaylen Frederick managed to improve and push himself up in to 3rd.

    Qualifying-

    Zak O’Sullivan gave local fans an early celebration as he pushed it to the limit to secure his first pole position, as well as writing his name into Carlin history by securing the teams first pole in the championship. Meanwhile, Arthur Leclerc banished his qualifying woes to snatch second as Zane Maloney rounds out the top 3.

    Collet was quick out of the box, becoming the first driver to set a flying lap, MP Motorsport were on the pace from the start as Collet’s 1:45.602 was momentarily bested by his teammate Maini before he regained P1.

    Traffic and track limits coming in to play as Oliver Bearman set a blistering 1:44.873 which put him up in P1 before being deleted. Meanwhile, the Trident trio were on the charge as Maloney climbed up into third ahead of teammate Edgar, who was returning at his home race following a two-race absence.

    As the clock ticked down to zero, a flurry of fast laps once again switched up the order as Leclerc jumped up to P1 but nothing could stop O’Sullivan from pipping the PREMA. Almost identical times in the opening sector mean that there was virtually nothing between the pair who ended the session separated by only 0.027s.

    Lining up on reverse grid pole for Saturday’s Sprint Race, Maini has the perfect opportunity to secure a maiden rostrum finish in the opening race of the weekend.

  • F3 2022 Drivers

    The Formula 3 2022 grid is complete before the first round this weekend in Bahrain, the first of 9 rounds and 18 races across the year.

    There are 14 rookies this year, including Zak O’Sullivan in which his come of the back of 3 impressive year, being runner up in Ginetta Junior Championship, runner-up in F4 British Championship and GB3 Champion last year. Ollie Bearman, also comes inot F3 being the ADAC Formula 4 Champion and Italian F4 Champion.

    Which drivers should we look out for this season?

    Trident drivers, they are coming of the back of winning the 2021 Team standings, and no doubt will be wanting to do it again.

    PREMA, you can never ever count out, obviously they have won the drivers championship 3 years in a row. As well as this, Arthur Leclerc has already won one championship this year and it looks like F3 will now be his main focus.

    Martins and Collet, both with Alpine Academy will be looking to fight for the championship this year. It is their second year in F3 and will be hoping to move up to F2 next season if they provide the results.

    Juan Manuel Correa sticking with ART Grand Prix, hoping to fight for more points this year as he goes into his second year in Formula 3.

    TeamsDrivers
    TridentJonny Edgar
    Zane Maloney (R)
    Roman Stanek
    PREMAOliver Bearman (R)
    Arthur Leclerc
    Jak Crawford
    ART Grand PrixVictor Martins
    Gregory Saucy (R)
    Juan Manuel Correa
    MP MotorsportCaio Collet
    Alexander Smolyar
    Kush Maini (R)
    Charouz Racing SystemAyrton Simmons (R)
    László Tóth
    Francesco Pizzi (R)
    HiTech Grand PrixKaylen Frederick
    Isack Hadjar (R)
    Nazim Azman
    Campos RacingDavid Vidales (R)
    Hunter Yeany
    Josep María Martí (R)
    Jenzer MotorsportIdo Cohen
    Niko Kari
    William Alatalo (R)
    CarlinZak O’Sullivan (R)
    Brad Benavides (R)
    Enzo Trulli
    Van Amersfoort RacingFranco Colapinto (R)
    Rafael Villagomez
    Reece Ushijima (R)

  • Trulli completes Carlin line-up

    Enzo Trulli has complete the Carlin line-up for this season, with the racer set to join, Zak O’Sullivan and Brad Benavides.

    Trulli, debuted with Carlin in the second half of last season competing for the British team in Euroformula Open where he took three podiums in the final four races.

    He finished 7th overall, with spending the first nine races with Drivex School scoring one podium and nine top eight finishes before he made the switch to Carlin.

    The Italian, jumped into single seaters for the first time competitively in early 2021, Trulli’s first taster was in the UAE Formula 4 Championship, which he won with four victories and 13 podiums.

    “It is with great pleasure that I announce my commitment with Carlin for the 2022 FIA F3 Championship,” said Trulli. “I am so happy to stay in the Carlin family for this fantastic experience, after a very successful first season with them in the Euroformula. I am truly thankful to Trevor Carlin and the team for believing in me. Of course, it’s going to be a learning season for me, considering the limited experience I have and the limited mileage available in the car. Yet, I’m ready to work hard and to support the team’s work and progress, in order to bring Carlin on the top of the F3 list. It is such a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to starting the learning process!”

    Carlin Racing Director Trevor Carlin added: “Enzo has made a remarkable start to his single seater career. He impressed us greatly with his performances in Euroformula Open despite having extremely limited experience. His performance in the rain in Monza, his first ever wet single-seater race, was particularly indicative as to his mindset and approach. This season will be massive learning curve for him. FIA F3 is a hugely competitive series and a huge ask for a driver in only their second season of racing. Enzo needs to focus on learning and taking something from each weekend. We are thrilled to be working with him and look forward to helping him progress with each race.”

  • F2 2022 Drivers

    Formula 2 has now had all their drivers confirmed for this year. The 2022 season will see a 14 round calendar, and 28 races across the year.

    Half of the grid are rookies this year, with reigning Formula 3 Champion, Dennis Hauger making the step up into F2. As well as many different drivers from all different F1 team juniors, but 2022 their will be no Ferrari Driver Academy drivers, with the most recent drivers graduating to other roles…

    Which drivers should we look out for this season?

    Definitley both PREMA drivers, they will be want to go for both the drivers and teams championship for a third year running.

    Liam Lawson moving to Carlin, is definitely one to watch, he had a few reliability issues last year, so if he doesn’t have those this year hopefully he can be a title contender.

    ART Grand Prix, have a very strong line-up this year, Pourchaire will be wanting to go for the drivers championship, and Vesti will be wanting to help as the team and possibly fight for the team championship.

    Jack Doohan, Olli Caldwell, Jake Hughes and Clement Novalak all stepped into F2 seats last year with some scoring points rather quickly. These 4 are ones to look out for, with scoring points consistently.

    Formula 2 is back next Wednesday the 2nd of March in Sakhir, Bahrain for pre-season testing, then 2 weeks later is the first race of the season!

    TeamsDrivers
    PREMA RacingDennis Hauger (R)
    Jehan Daruvala
    VirtuosiJack Doohan (R)
    Marino Sato
    CarlinLogan Sargeant (R)
    Liam Lawson
    HiTech GPJuri Vips
    Marcus Armstrong
    ART Grand PrixThéo Pourchaire
    Frederik Vesti (R)
    MP MotorsportClément Novalak (R)
    Felipe Drugovich
    Charouz Racing SystemCem Bölükbasi (R)
    Enzo Fittipaldi (R)
    DAMSRoy Nissany
    Ayumu Iwasa (R)
    TridentCalan Williams (R)
    Richard Verschoor
    Campos RacingRalph Boschung
    Olli Caldwell (R)
    Van Amersfoort RacingJake Hughes
    Amaury Cordeel (R)
    (R)- Rookie

  • Benavides joins Carlin

    Brad Benavides will be making his Formula 3 debut with Carlin this year, alongside fellow rookie Zak O’Sullivan.

    The American-Spanish spent the first half of last season in the Formula Regional European Championship before switching to Euroformula Open in the second half of the year where he finished in the top 10 in eight out of nine races with Carlin.

    The British team then ran him in their Formula 3 machinery on Days 1 and 3 of post-season testing, where he impressed to earn a deal.

    The 20 year old, made his single-seater debut at the end of 2018, in the final two races of the Euroformula Open Championship at Barcelona, before opting to run in Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019, after a year out in 2020. Benavides returned to Europe with a seat in Formula Regional European in 2021.

    “I’ve been a die-hard fan of racing my whole life, and I now have in my hands the greatest opportunity I’ve ever had,” said Benavides. “I feel like, at the same time, my greatest achievements are closer than ever. I am going to give my maximum effort this season and make it one to be proud of.”

    Racing Director Trevor Carlin added: “Brad is still a very young driver at the start of his career. Making the step up to FIA F3 in only his second season in Europe will be a big learning curve but Brad has a fantastic attitude both in and out of the car. We’re delighted he has chosen to stay with the team for this next step in his career and we can’t wait to get started with testing later next month in Bahrain.”

  • Lawson switches to Carlin

    Lawson switches to Carlin

    Liam Lawson has switched HiTech Grand Prix for Carlin in 2022, where he joins Williams Academy driver, Logan Sargeant.

    The Red Bull junior, made his first appearance for the team, at post-season testing in Abu Dhabi where he finished four of the six sessions in the top 10.

    2021, was Lawsons rookie season in Formula 2, which saw him win the opening race and take two more podiums during the year- he finished ninth overall. Not only this he competed in DTM last year, where he finished as runner-up.

    The 19 year old has 4 years experience in European single-seater racing, making the move from New Zealand in 2018, where he had wont the NZ F1600 Championship the year before. He finished the year as vice-champion in ADAC F4, Lawson then moved to Formula 3 for 2019 with MP Motorsport where he took podiums in his rookie season.

    In the same year Lawson finished second in Euroformula Open with four wins, he also won the Toyota Racing Series with 5 wins and 11 podiums. He then decided to switch to HiTech for his second year in F3 where he won three times and grabbed six podiums- he finished 5th overall.

    “I’m super excited for the new opportunity this year,” said Lawson. “The pre-season test went really, really well. It was a completely different experience to what I’ve been used to. The whole team is really focused on the right things and all super motivated going into the season. The second year is always a good step having done a year and learnt a lot, so to take all of that into a new team is a great way to start.”

    Carlin Team Manager Trevor Carlin added: “We’re really excited to have Liam join the team. He is a great talent and we’ve watched him with interest over the last few seasons. We’re very proud and thankful that Red Bull and Rodin have entrusted us with this next stage in Liam’s career. Liam did a great job in the post-season official tests in Abu Dhabi and slotted straight into the team. I expect him to be a championship contender this year.”

    My Opinion-

    This is the right move for him. He was very unlucky last year due to reliability, so with him moving to Carlin he should have a stable car for the 2022 season. Lets hope that Lawson will be in the fight for the title!

  • Sargeant to Carlin 2022

    Another driver announcement for Formula 2 for the next season and that is Logan Sargeant who is joining Carlin! The American will be making his debut with the team later this week during post-season testing.

    The Williams Academy driver has raced for the team in British Formula 4 and in his first season in Formula 3. Logan gained his first experience in F2 in the penultimate round of the 2021 season in Jeddahn with HWA Racelab.

    Sargeants year in F3 with Charouz Racing System was successful, he managed to claim four podiums and a win in the season finale at Sochi, he was a title contender in 2020 with Prema finishing 3rd overall with six podiums and one win.

    Before joining Carlin for testing, Sargeant is taking part in the young drivers test with Williams.

    “This is an incredible week for me!” said Sargeant. “To get my first taste of the FW43B today (Tuesday 14th) and then follow that up with three days testing in my new F2 car is just incredible. I can’t wait to re-join Carlin who have been so strong in F2 and get to work on our 2022 programme. Big thanks to Trevor, my management at Infinity and of course Williams Racing for this incredible opportunity.”

    My Opinion-

    I don’t think anyone doubted he wouldn’t get a seat for next year, and his got a good one at that. Carlin have had a good season this year, with wins and podium and finishing 3rd overall in the teams. I’m going to be looking at how he does with the Carlin car hopefully he can learn a lot in testing about the team and car!