Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: F3

  • Formula 3 announce 2025 calendar

    FIA Formula 3 has announced the calendar for the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. With next season will consist of a total of 10 round again, and all support events of the FIA Formula One World Championship and the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
    The 10 teams and 30 drivers will contest a total of 20 races across three continents.

    F3’s seventh season will kick off in Melbourne, Australia on March 14th to 16th. With the final and tenth round of the 2025 F3 season will be taking place in Monza, Italy on September 5th to 7th.

    RoundDate Location
    114th – 16th MarchMelbourne, Australia
    211th – 13th AprilSakhir, Bahrain
    316th – 18th MayImola, Italy
    422nd – 25th MayMonte Carlo, Monaco
    530th May – 1st JuneBarcelona, Spain
    627th – 29th JuneSpielberg, Austria
    74th – 6th JulySilverstone, Great Britain
    825th – 27th JulySpa-Francorchamps, Belgium
    91st – 3rd AugustBudapest, Hungary
    105th – 7th SeptemberMonza, Italy

    F3 is providing fantastic action on track for our fans this year and I am delighted that the series will again be joining Formula 1 at 10 events next season. The skill of the drivers and the intense action on track is thrilling for our fans and demonstrates the talent in the pipeline we have for the future. F3 is a vital part of our pyramid system, and I want to thank the FIA, Bruno Michel, CEO F2/F3, and his team, all the competitors for the amazing job they do, and pay tribute to Dallara, Mecachrome, Aramco, and Pirelli for their continued support of the series. We are all looking forward to the rest of the season and an exciting 2025.
    Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1.

    The FIA Formula 3 Championship provides a wonderful opportunity for young drivers from regional and national series to race at venues which feature on the schedule of the pinnacle of the sport – the FIA Formula One World Championship. Once again, we have an exciting calendar for 2025. F3 demonstrates the FIA’s commitment to nurturing young talent and broadening their horizons.
    FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

    I’m very pleased to keep ten rounds, 20 races, for Formula 3 in 2025. Next season’s calendar comprises the same tracks as in 2024. We’re bringing F3 on three different continents, which is fantastic for these young drivers, who are able to learn new tracks and race in front of the F1 and F2 paddocks. So far, in 2024, we’ve seen some incredible racing, so I expect the same for next year.
    FIA Formula 3 CEO, Bruno Michel.

  • F3 drivers join McLaren Driver Development programme

    McLaren have announced that two more drivers are joining their development programme – Alex Dunne and Martinius Stenshorne.
    Both currently race in Formula 3, Dunne for MP Motorsport and Stenshorne for Hitech Pulse-Eight.

    Dunne impressed McLaren when he won the 2022 British F4 Championship with Hitech Grand Prix, with the 18 year old from Ireland also put in an eye-catching performance in Bahrain earlier this year securing his first F3 points.

    Norwegian Stenshorne comes for a rallying background and was a prolific karter in his junior days, and has already tasted victory in F3 with a Sprint race win in Australia.

    McLaren’s Driver Development programme was established in 2022, and funnels young talent towards F1, Formula E and IndyCar.

    McLaren have a history of developing and promoting young talent – notably very happy to advance both Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris to F1, with both drivers going straight into the sharp end of the grid.

    We’re pleased to announce that Alex and Martinius have joined our Driver Development programme. They are both exciting and promising young talents within motorsport, with proven records on track in their respective junior categories including this season’s FIA Formula 3 Championship. The entire team is looking forward to welcoming Alex and Martinius to the McLaren family and we’ll be working closely to support their development within our talent pipeline.
    Stephanie Carlin, Director of F1 Business Operations – who runs the junior programme.

    It’s an honour to join the McLaren Driver Development programme. I’m looking forward to getting started with the team. McLaren provides the perfect environment for me to develop my skillset as I continue my journey in motorsport. I’m grateful for Zak [Brown] and Stephanie’s support and I’m excited to meet the rest of the team at MTC.
    Dunne on the news.

    I’m incredibly excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme, it’s an honour to now be part of the McLaren family. The team has a great history of developing talent, so I’m looking forward to growing with the team and learning from their expertise as I continue on my journey towards the top of motorsport. Thank you to Zak, Stephanie and the entire team for their faith in me, I can’t wait to get started.
    Stenshorne adding to the news.

  • Italian Grand Prix

    We are in Italy for Round 15 and our second race of the double header as we arrive at the Temple of Speed to see if the Monza curse continues…

    The Monza curse has continued every year, but seeing as Max won last year, will he be the driver to break it? Or could we potentially see a different team other than Red Bull win on Sunday?

    This weekend’s race is the home race of a couple of teams, Ferrari obviously, and AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo!

    This weekend we also have Formula 2 and Formula 3 joining us on the Italian circuit, and not only that it is also the finale for F3 aswell!

    Who needs to shine?

    Charles Leclerc will be wanting a good weekend as it’s Ferrari’s home race, and after having a DNF last weekend he will be looking to score some big points in front of the home crowd.

    George Russell obviously he finished 17th last weekend, but this weekend he will be wanting to get back on the podium or even top 5.

    Going back to Ferrari they are only 14 points behind Aston Martin in the Constructors so this is a big opportunity for both drivers to close in on the Silverstone based team.

    With Williams scoring some more points last weekend they’ve managed to build a 4 point gap between themselves and Haas. But they will need a bigger gap to feel safe.

    Also, Liam Lawson! His back again this weekend subbing in for Ricciardo. He will be wanting to have another good race and hopefully with a bit more time in the car in the practice sessions he may get a better qualifying result also.

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top five for qualifying are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Norris, P4: Perez and P5: Russell.

    I think we may have a few shock surprises in qualifying again. Maybe someone from a top team out in Q1/Q2 and having to see them come through the field on Sunday!

  • Imola Tyre Selection

    The tyre selection has been chosen for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix this weekend.

    Pirelli has opted to bring its softer range of compounds, which means the C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft), will be made available to the teams throughout the weekend. Imola is only the second race on the 2023 calendar after Baku to feature the three softest tyre compounds.

    The greater softness of the compounds could open up more racing strategies. Imola traditionally is a one-stop race but with a trio of tyres that are likely to degrade less than those used in the past, the teams will have more alternatives.

    The Autodrom Enzo and Dino Ferrari celebrated its 70th birthday this year. Having been completed in 1953, Imola is an “old-school” track, narrower than many modern ones. For this reason, overtaking is also particularly challenging but at the same time more spectacular.

    A new qualifying format will be tested during the Imola weekend. In each of the three qualifying sessions, teams will be required to use only one type of compound:

    • Q1 the hards
    • Q2 the mediums
    • Q3 the softs.

    The so-called “Alternative Tyre Allocation” (ATA) will make it possible to reduce the number of sets of dry-weather tyres supplied by Pirelli to 11, compared to the 13 per car on race weekends where an F1 Sprint is not held.

    These will be divided into three hard, four medium and four soft. The number of sets of wet tyres remains unchanged: four sets of intermediate and three sets of full wet.

    Each driver will have a total of seven sets of tyres available for Sunday’s race, including at least one of each of the mandatory compounds: hard and medium, as usual. Of the remaining four sets available, one will be returned after FP1, one after FP2, and two after FP3.

    The first round of the 2023 season in Europe will feature two important innovations in terms of tyres, both aimed at improving the environmental sustainability of our sport. 
    The first centres around qualifying: at Imola we will be testing a new regulation that requires teams to use a different type of compound for each of the three sessions, with the hards fitted for Q1, the mediums for Q2, and the softs for Q3. This means a reduction – from 13 to 11 – of the sets of dry tyres that each driver has available for the entire event, therefore decreasing the environmental impact generated by the production and transport of the tyres. 
    Then, with the same aim, starting from this grand prix, a new compound of full wet tyre will be introduced which will not require the use of tyre warmers beforehand. Track tests have shown even better performance than the previous Cinturato Blue full wet, even without the electric heating of the tyre. The result of studies carried out by Pirelli, it is the first concrete step towards the use of dry tyres without preheating. 
    Finally, we have chosen to bring our range of softer compounds (C3, C4, and C5) to Imola, which could offer the teams a wider range of strategic options ahead of the race.

    Mario Isola, Motorsport Director.

  • Luke Browning joins Williams Academy

    Williams Racing has announced that British racer, Luke Browning has joined the team’s Driver Academy.

    Following on from the signing of Franco Colapinto earlier this year, Williams have bolstered their Driver Academy by signing the Formula 3 racer.

    The 21 year old, is currently racing in F3 with Hitech Pulse-Eight squad and has scored 14 points from the first two round in Bahrain and in Australia.

    Browning has been signed after he won the GB3 Championship in 2022, scoring five wins and a further eight podiums while race with Hitech. He also won the 2022 Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

    His signing means the Williams Driver Academy now consists of five members – four of whom are currently racing in Formula 3.

    Browning is set to work on the Williams simulator in Grove throughout the year, taking part in a personalised programme, as well as embedding with the team trackside at select race weekends.

    I’m really looking forward to being a part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy. A huge thank you to everyone at the team for the opportunity to shoot for the stars. To be welcomed into the family is a dream come true, the heritage of this team is phenomenal. I can’t wait to see where we can go, our journey starts here.

    Browning on the signing.

    We’re pleased to have Luke join the Driver Academy. He’s a highly talented driver with several major achievements already under his belt, including the 2022 Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, the 2022 GB3 Championship, and the 2020 British F4 Championship. Everyone at Williams Racing is looking forward to working closely with Luke throughout the year as he competes in FIA Formula 3 with Hitech Pulse-Eight. He’ll have the opportunity to develop his abilities while providing useful feedback through simulator work at Grove.

    Sven Smeets, Williams Sporting Director.

  • Bahrain Grand Prix

    The first round is here, and we are at the Bahrain International Circuit for Round 1 out of 23.

    This season we have three rookies joining the grid, and a lot of changes within the teams and the drivers as well as having the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

    But who will be the world champion? Can Max Verstappen make it 3 in a row? Or will Ferrari finally end their 16 year drought and grab the championship? Will Mercedes be back on form and fight at the top?

    Who needs to shine?

    Guanyu Zhou is going into his second year as an F1 driver, he will be wanting to prove a lot more as he was quite unlucky last season.

    This year we will be having three new rookies to the grid, Oscar Piastri for McLaren, Logan Sargeant for Williams and Nyck de Vries for Alpha Tauri. Three different cars for three different drivers, it will be interesting to see how they do as Piastri comes from a year out of racing, Sargeant from racing in F2 and de Vries from Formula E.

    And we have Nico Hulkenberg who is returning to the sport after leaving at the end of 2019, but making several appearances since then as well as being a reserve and development driver.

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top five for qualifying are- Pole: Sainz, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Hamilton, P5: Alonso.

    I think we all know that it’s going to be Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes fighting at the top but I think it will be even closer in the midfield.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 3rd-

    Free Practice F3: 07:55am – 08:40am, Free Practice F2: 09:05am – 09:50am, Free Practice 1 F1: 11:30am – 12:30pm, Qualifying F3: 13:00pm – 13:30pm, Free Practice 2 F1: 15:00pm – 16:00pm, Qualifying F2: 16:30pm – 17:00pm (GMT).

    Saturday 4th-

    Sprint Race F3: 09:15am – 10:00am, Free Practice 3 F1: 11:30am – 12:30pm, Sprint Race F2: 13:15pm – 14:00pm Qualifying F1: 15:00pm – 16:00pm.

    Sunday 5th-

    F3 Feature Race: 08:50am, F2 Feature Race: 10:20am and F1 Race: 15:00pm.

  • Fornaroli completes Trident line-up

    Trident have announced that they have signed Leonardo Fornaroli for the 2023 Formula 3 season.

    Completing their driver line-up, the Italian racer will be competing alongside Oliver Goethe, and fellow Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine graduate, Gabriel Bortoleto.

    The 18 year old joins F3 off the back of a successful maiden FRECA campaign with the Italian team, scoring 15 points finishes in 20 races. His consistency was well rewarded, finishing eighth in the Drivers’ Championship and taking the honours as the rookie of the year.

    Having made his single-seater debut in 2020, Fornaroli dovetailed his rookie season in Italian F4 with a three race stint in ADAC Formula 4. Returning for a second campaign in Italian F4 last year, he seized one victory, seven podiums and two pole positions on his way to fifth in the standings.

    Progressing up to FRECA in 2022, he also made a three round appearance in the Formula Regional Asian Championship at the start of the year.

    Featuring for Trident at the post-season test in Jerez, Fornaroli notched in over 180 laps across the three days and made two top six appearances during the second day of running.

    I’m happy to continue my journey with Trident Motorsport, after this year’s success in Formula Regional with the team. I believe Trident is the best place to keep growing and learning and to be able to debut in Formula 3 with them is a great opportunity for me. For these reasons, I would like to thank Maurizio Salvadori and his team for the trust and confidence they have in me. I also would like to thank my family, my manager, my coach and my sponsors for their ongoing support and help.

    Leonardo Fornaroli on his move.

    Leonardo Fornaroli is without a doubt a promising young driver and we are proud to be with him in his debut in Formula 3. The path followed by Leonardo testifies the great work value made by Trident Motorsport to help young talents grow in minor categories with the goal of helping and preparing them for a future in Formula 1.

    Giacomo Ricci, Tridents team manager.

  • Goethe signs with Trident

    Trident have confirmed that Oliver Goethe for the 2023 FIA Formula 3 season. The German-Danish driver will be making the graduation to F3 after claiming the 2022 Euroformula Open title.

    Goethe has already raced in FIA F3, making two appearances in Campos Racing colours across the Budapest and Spa-Francorchamps weekends. After securing eighth in the Budapest Sprint Race, he followed that up with a P4 finish in the Feature Race at Spa. Goethe also appeared at the post-season F3 test in Jerez, driving for Trident across all three days.

    He started his single-seater career in Spanish F4, completing his first full season in 2020 and finishing the year fifth in the standings. He then moved to Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2021 and followed that up with his title-winning Euroformula Open campaign in 2022.

    Oliver Goethe is without a doubt a promising young driver. We are extremely proud to have him in our line-up for 2023 in FIA Formula 3 Championship and we look forward to a new season together. We were impressed by his debut in the category last season and by the excellent work done by the German-Danish driver’s technical staff during the postseason Test in Jerez last September. We welcome the new member of the Trident Motorsport Family with the certainty that we will build the right alchemy to reach important goals together.

    Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager.

    I am delighted to join Trident for my first full season in FIA F3. I drove with the team in Jerez, and it was a great experience. They are very professional and have achieved some great success in this championship. I know we are capable of some good results together, and I can’t wait to get the season started. Huge thanks to my sponsors and partners for their support so far and for being by side as I am taking an important step in my career. Thanks to ROFGO, Gulf Oil International, Tag Heuer, Venture Engineering, Pit Stop Monte Carlo, Bullet Sport Management, and of course my parents and my coach Stuart for all the help.

    Goethe on his new seat.

  • PHM Racing to take over Charouz Racing System

    The FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 Championship promoters announce that German team PHM Racing will take over Charouz Racing System’s entries and assets from the 2023 F2 and F3 seasons.

    Founded in 2021 by Paul H. Muller, PHM Racing took part in the Formula 4 Championship in the United Arab Emirates, the German ADAC F4 and the Italian ACI F4 Championship in 2022.

    PHM Racing will be operated by Charouz Racing System in 2023, and the team will race under PHM Racing by Charouz in both Championships.

    The German outfit will be making its first appearance when Formula 2 and Formula 3 return for pre-season testing at the Bahrain International circuit, on February 14th to 16th.

    I would like to welcome to PHM Racing to Formula 2 and Formula 3. Although they are a young team, they are eager to prove they have what it takes to embrace the challenges of our championships. I would also like to thank Toni Charouz and everyone at Charouz Racing System. Toni has been a great partner throughout the years and Charouz Racing have been valued members of our paddock since 2018. They will operate PHM Racing in both categories next season, so the Charouz name will remain on the grid in some capacity for another year.

    FIA Formula 2 Championship CEO, Bruno Michel.

    Joining Formula 3 and Formula 2 is the next step in our evolution as a comprehensive development program for young driver talents. We are excited to offer drivers a team that can take them from karting all the way to the doorstep of Formula One.

    Paul H.Mueller, owner of PHM Racing adds.

    I’m really glad to announce this partnership with Paul and his team. PHM Racing is a quite new name in the motorsport landscape but they already showed how professional and competitive they can be in Formula 4 and I’m sure, with all our knowledge and support, that they can do as well in the FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 championships.

    Toni Charouz, Team owner of Charouz Racing System.

  • O’Sullivan to PREMA

    PRMEA Racing have announced that Williams junior, Zak O’Sullivan will be joining them for his second Formula 3 season, completing their driver line-up for the 2023 campaign.

    17 year old O’Sullivan finished 11th in the Drivers’ Championship this year for Carlin with 54 points and two podiums – including a spectacular showing on home soil in Silverstone where he claimed his first F3 pole position.

    He will be partnering Mercedes Junior, Paulo Aron and Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine Champion and Ferrari backed junior, Dino Beganovic as the Italian team aim to retain their Teams’ Championship title.

    O’Sullivan’s single-seater career began in 2019 and has included plenty of success for the British race. In his first two years racing, he finished second in both the Ginetta Junior Championship and the F4 British Championship.

    In 2021, he dominated the field on his way to the GB3 Championship title, racking up seven wins, 14 podiums and five pole positions on his way to glory – earning him a promotion to F3 in 2022 and a spot in the Williams Driver Academy.

    Making his debut with PREMA at the post-season testing in Jerez, O’Sullivan finished five out of the six sessions inside the top 10 clocking in the third fastest time of Day 2’s morning session.

    I am really excited to be joining PREMA for the 2023 FIA Formula 3 season. It will be a new environment for me, but PREMA’s history says all we need to know, so hopefully, we can have a good year together. The first impressions in testing were good, and the pace was pretty strong. I was still learning the car as there are a few differences, getting to know all the team and the engineers, and learning some Italian as well!

    Zak on his new move.

    We are particularly looking forward to working with Zak. We are impressed by what he achieved in his maiden FIA F3 season and his career so far. He will bring in his experience, which is something we always really value, and he already did an outstanding job in post-season testing. That will boost our preparations for 2023, and we are confident we will see Zak thrive in our environment. We are equally delighted to work with the Williams Driver Academy, and we are grateful for the trust they have put into us.

    Team Prinicpal, Rene Rosin.

  • Saucy sticks with ART

    ART Grand Prix have announced that Gregoire Saucy will be remaining with the team for the 2023 FIA Formula 3 season. The Swiss driver has been with the French team for the past three years, graduating to F3 this season and finishing 15th overall.

    Saucy has enjoyed success in the past with ART, securing the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2021 with eight race victories to his name.

    Prior to that title success, the 22 year-old competed in German Formula 4 and Toyota Racing Series before linking up with ART GP in FRECA.

    In 2023, I will celebrate my 4th anniversary with ART Grand Prix, a milestone I am very proud of. Knowing the team for this long is a plus because we know each other’s strengths and we know how to work on our weaknesses. I have already started on my mental and physical preparation so I can be ready for the first laps of 2023. I learnt a great deal in the first season of F3 and I will be using that to bring ART Grand Prix a second title, following the one in FRECA back in 2021. The Championship will be long and exciting, with new dates, and one of the keys will be to be consistent right from the onset. This is what we missed last season and I know that to achieve my title objective we will have to do what we did in 2021: score the maximum number of points when victory is not within our reach. I am very happy to continue working with ART Grand Prix and I can’t wait for the new season to start. I want to thank ART Grand Prix, Dominique Guenat, Richard Mille and my sponsors without whom this project would not have been possible.

    Gregoire Saucy on staying with ART.

    Grégoire has been a member of the ART Grand Prix family for three years and we could only congratulate ourselves on his personal and sporting qualities. In the wake of his title in the European Regional Formula by Alpine where he moved forward a step, he made a promising debut in Formula 3 by climbing onto the podium in Bahrain during his first weekend of racing in the series. Like the team, Grégoire has had his ups and downs, but he fought hard throughout the year and in 2023 his first year of experience in the discipline will be an asset to help him aim for regular victories.

    Sebastien Philippe, Team Principal.

  • Gabriele Mini to drive for HiTech

    HiTech Grand Prix have confirmed that Italian driver, Gabriele Mini will be competing with the team in next season’s FIA Formula 3 Championship.

    Mini, took part in the post-season test at Jerez with the team, setting the fastest time on the opening day at the Spanish circuit.

    His debut season racing in single-seaters was capped off with the Italian F4 title, which included foure wins and 12 podiums by the end of the campaign. The 17 year old has previously driven for Hitech, competing in the Formula Regional Asia series earlier this year, finishing fourth in the standings.

    This season, Mini finished second in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, taking three wins and six podiums along the way.

    After two seasons in FRECA, FIA F3 is the logical step for me and I’m delighted to be joining Hitech for the 2023 season. We already worked together last winter in Formula Regional Asia and enjoyed strong results. The team did a solid job last season fighting for the driver’s title until the last round so I’m confident they will perform at the highest level. Testing in Jerez last month went well and I cannot wait to be back in the car next year.

    Mini on his new new seat.

    I have been following Gabriele’s career for some time through Karting, then into F4. We had the pleasure to work with him earlier this year in Asian F3 with good results, seeing first-hand his commitment and talent. He has had an impressive season in FRECA and he was instantly up to speed during the FIA F3 post-season testing in Jerez, so we look forward to seeing him with Hitech in 2023.

    Team Principal, Oliver Oakes.

  • Formula 3 reveal 2023 Calendar

    FIA Formula 3 has announced the calendar for the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship. With next season having a total of 10 rounds, all support events of the FIA Formula One World Championship and the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

    Teams and drivers will contest a total of 20 races across the 10 rounds, and over three continents. With two new prestigious tracks been added to the calendar, with Melbourne in Australia and Monte Carlo in Monaco.

    F3’s fifth season will again begin at the Bahrain International Circuit on March 03 – 05 with the final round in 2023 taking place in Monza, Italy on September 01 – 03. The season will include one triple header and two double-headers.

    RoundDateLocation
    103 – 05 MarchSakhir, Bahrain
    231 March – 02 AprilMelbourne, Australia
    319 – 21 MayImola, Italy
    425 – 28 MayMonte Carlo, Monaco
    502 – 04 JuneBarcelona, Spain
    630 June – 02 JulySpielberg, Austria
    707 – 09 JulySilverstone, Great Britain
    821 – 23 JulyBudapest, Hungary
    928 – 30 JulySpa-Francorchamps, Belgium
    1001 – 03 SeptemberMonza, Italy

    It’s great news to be able to confirm the Formula 3 calendar for 2023 for hopefully another thrilling season. There is no doubt that in its fifth year we can expect drama, action and some of the most exciting battles on track to date. We’re looking forward to seeing the talent of the future take to the track at 10 rounds of the Championship, and visiting two exciting new venues in Melbourne, Australia and Monte Carlo, Monaco, for the first time.

    Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.

    As the final two steps on the junior single-seater pathway, I am pleased that in 2023 FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 continue to race alongside the FIA Formula One World Championship. There is no better preparation than to compete on these gold-standard grand prix circuits, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the next generation of drivers take on a new challenge with the addition of a round in Australia next year.

    Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President.

    I am very pleased to present the 2023 calendar. It features two brand-new circuits, Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne and Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, which is really amazing. These two very prestigious tracks are the first street circuits to be added to the F3 calendar. They will offer the teams and the drivers an exciting new challenge, and I’m sure that the fans will love seeing the F3 cars race on both layouts. Formula 3 will be present at ten Formula One Grand Prix in 2023, one more than in 2022. The Championship will also visit three continents next year, more than any season previously. Despite the increase of the number of races, we keep specific attention to the teams’ budgets, and notably we will cover the freight costs to ensure that their budgets do not escalate.

    Bruno Michel, FIA Formula 3 CEO.

  • Beganovic makes the step up to F3

    PREMA Racing have announced that Dino Beganovic will be graduating to FIA Formula 3 with the team next year, off the back of his title-winning season in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.

    The 18 year old made his single-seater debut with the Italian squad in 2020, finishing third in Italian Formula 4. Moving up to FRECA the following year, Beganovic took one podium during his maiden campaign before returning for a second outing this season.

    Dominating the start of the campaign, Beganovic claimed four victories on his way to being crowned Champion at the penultimate race in Mugello.

    The Ferrari junior had a successful showing for PREMA in his first outing in F3 machinery during the post-season test in Jerez last month, clocking in the second fastest time of Day 1’s afternoon session.

    I am extremely happy to be racing with PREMA, my team, in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship. It will be our fourth year together, and I’m very proud to continue working together. PREMA has an amazing history in Formula 3 and won at least one championship per year there. I think it is definitely a step in the right direction for my future and for the team, as we have been working for a long time together. Testing in Jerez put us in a good position with the preparations for next year, and we want to continue from that.

    Dino Beganovic on his new seat.

    We have been working with Dino since the very beginning of his single seater career, and we are elated to continue for 2023. We went through Formula 4 and Formula Regional with increasingly impressive results together, and his run in FRECA shows how competent and outstanding he has become as a driver. The 2023 season will be a key step in shaping the rest of his career and there is great promise. We are willing to support Dino in making a positive impact right from the start, and we will work as hard as possible throughout the winter months.

    Rene Rosin, PREMA Racing Team Principal.

  • Aron to PREMA 2023

    PREMA Racing has confirmed one driver for their Formula 3 2023 season, with Paul Aron making the step up to the series.

    The Mercedes Junior driver, has driven for PREMA almost exclusively since his single-seater debut in Italian F4 back in 2019. Since then, he returned to the outfit for his Formula Regioanl European Championship by Alpine efforts in 2021 and ’22, most recently achieving a P3 finish in the drivers standings last season.

    The 18 year old, currently sits third in the Championship on 176 points, with four victories and a further two podium finishes to his name in 2022.

    As a member of the Mercedes F1 Junior driver set-up, Aron will complete the remaining races of the 2022 FRECA campaign before turning his attentions to F3 and the 2023 season with the PREMA team.

    I am very, very happy, excited, and thankful to join a team like PREMA in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for the 2023 season. They proved themselves year after year, always having three cars on top and showing great pace. I am delighted to spend another year with them, and I am confident they will give me the best possible package to fight for the win. I am really looking forward to seeing what we will be able to achieve next year.

    Aron said.

    We are extremely delighted to continue working with Paul. We have always been aware of his winning potential, and we think he will keep producing impressive runs in the future, even in a very competitive and highly-challenging environment like Formula 3. It will be a learning year, but we are sure there will be many chances to challenge for high-profile results, so our goal is to push right from the winter preparations to be ready for 2023.

    Team Principal, Rene Rosin.

  • Italian Grand Prix

    Our third race in three weeks is here! And it’s one of the most prestigious races of the year! It’s the home Grand Prix of Ferrari, and I can’t wait to see the Tifosi in action once again!

    Last year, it was a McLaren 1-2, the year before Gasly won his first race, and the year before that Leclerc won at home for Ferrari. Can we expect a crazy race again this year, maybe a first win for someone? *cough Russell cough*

    Who needs a good weekend-

    I think Ferrari will be wanting a good weekend especially at home, but if Charles wants to win this weekend he will be wanting to close down the gap to Max, 8 races left and 109 points between the pair. Not only this Leclerc will be wanting to build a gap on Perez as they are sat on the same points.

    Bottas will be hoping to get some big points on the board, he is only 13 points behind Alonso in the Drivers standings so it isn’t that big of a gap if he scores every race weekend.

    The battle between 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th in the driver standings is heating up as they are separated by 4 points those being Kevin Magnussen, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 9th-

    • Free Practice F3- 08:15am – 09:00am (BST)
    • Free Practice F2- 09:25am – 10:10am
    • Free Practice 1 F1- 13:00pm – 14:00pm
    • Qualifying F3- 14:30pm – 15:00pm
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm
    • Qualifying F2- 17:30pm – 18:00pm

    Saturday 10th-

    • Sprint Race F3- 09:35am – 10:20am (BST)
    • Free Practice 3 F1- 12:00pm – 13:00pm
    • Qualifying F1- 15:00pm – 16:00pm
    • Sprint Race F2- 17:00pm – 17:45pm

    Sunday 12th-

    • Feature Race F3- 07:35am (BST)
    • Feature Race F2- 09:05am
    • F1 Race- 14:00pm

  • Dutch Grand Prix

    Now that was a short break… we are back this week for the second race in our triple header, and we are heading to Zandvoort for Max Verstappen’s home Grand Prix.

    What can the Dutchman do this weekend? Will it be another win in the bag or will he have the Ferrari’s close behind him? Are Mercedes able to bounce back from last week and be up there in the fight again?…

    Who needs a good weekend-

    Charles Leclerc will be wanting a good weekend, he didn’t have the best race last weekend, so if he wants to either properly be in this title fight he will need to get a few wins under his belt, as well as this Mercedes are closing in on Ferrari in the Constructors so there is this also to think about.

    Lewis, will be wanting to bounce back from last weekend, there is not many times in the season you see him DNF/ crash, so he will be wanting to help his team make a step forward and make the most of these next 8 races.

    Lando will be hoping for a better weekend, obviously he had the engine penalty last week so he was towards the back of the grid, but with the Alpine’s having strong race weekends both of their drivers are closing in on the Brit in the drivers standings.

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton and P5: Sainz.

    I think it will be close for pole, but I also having yellow and red flags will play apart of this weekend’s qualifying session. At the time of writing this, there is rain to be expected on Saturday, with this possibly adding in to the mix we then could have a very mixed up grid.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 2nd-

    • Free Practice F3- 07:55am – 08:40am (BST)
    • Free Practice F2- 09:05am – 09:50am
    • Free Practice 1 F1 – 11:30am – 12:30pm
    • Qualifying F3- 13:00pm – 13:30pm
    • Qualifying F2- 14:00pm – 14:30pm
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 15:00pm – 16:00pm

    Saturday 3rd-

    • F3 Sprint Race- 09:25am – 10:10am (BST)
    • Free Practice 3 F1- 11:00am – 12:00pm
    • Qualifying F1- 14:00pm – 15:00pm
    • F2 Sprint Race- 16:00pm – 17:00pm

    Sunday 4th-

    • F3 Feature Race- 07:45am (BST)
    • F2 Feature Race- 09:20am
    • F1 Race- 14:00pm

  • Zandvoort Tyre Allocation

    Round 15 is here and this weekend we will be halfway through the triple header. Pirelli have chosen the tyres for this weekends Dutch Grand Prix, alongside Formula 2 and 3 aswell.

    The three hardest compounds have been chosen for Zandvoort, C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), C3 (Soft).

    This year, there’s a bigger gap between the C1 and C2 compounds than there was previously: this could be a reason why teams might concentrate more on the two softer compounds this weekend.

    The banking on Turns 3 and 14 is around 18 degrees by way of comparison, the historic banking on the old circuit at Monza is roughly 30 degrees on average. Of other modern circuits, Indianapolis has nine degrees of banking and Jeddah has 12.

    Zandvoort generates some big g forces all around the 4.2-kilometre track: braking into Turns 1 and 11 is a deceleration of about 5g whilst turn 7 also provides lateral forces of around 5g.

    Zandvoort proved to be a spectacular addition to the calendar last year, and the most challenging parts for tyres are the banked Turns 3 and 14, which are taken at high speed and place sustained combined forces on the car: downforce as well as lateral demands. Along with the other overall demands of the circuit layout, this is why we have nominated the hardest three compounds in the range for only the fourth time in 2022, after Bahrain, Spain and Great Britain. The new car-tyre package this season should make overtaking easier on a track where it was hard to pass last year: the majority of drivers stopped just once to maintain track position, but this time there could be more of a focus on the softer compounds – which might lead to more two-stoppers and drivers pushing even harder.

    Mario Isola, Motorsport Director.

    Formula 2-

    The hard and soft tyres have been nominated for F2 this weekend. The Sprint Race will be lasting 29 laps and the Feature Race, 40 laps.

    Formula 3-

    F3 has three new sets of Medium tyres to use across the weekend, plus another set carried over from the previous round. On Saturday the sprint race is 21 laps, and then Sunday is 26 laps.

  • Belgian Grand Prix

    We are back racing this weekend, and we are at Spa-Francorchamps for Round 14, where last year we saw a Williams stick it on the front row in qualifying, for the race then to be delayed and then cancelled due to the rain.

    Lets hope this year will be a step better than lasts… The weather could play a part in who qualifies where so could potentially mix the grid up. But will Ferrari get their strategy right? What can Mercedes do? They have been getting closer to get that race win, could that be this weekend?

    Who needs a good weekend?

    I think Ferrari as a whole need a really good weekend, they’ve thrown away a few race wins down to strategy and if they want to fight for this championship they need to up their game, whether that’s reliability or strategy.

    McLaren again as a whole need to sort themselves out this half of the season, Alpine have now overtook the papaya team in the standings. So both Norris and Ricciardo need to be on top of their game this weekend and the rest of the season to get further up the standings.

    Haas will be wanting to start off this second half with a bang, especially for a certain Mick Schumacher as his contract is not confirmed for next year and the only way contract talks will start are by “scoring more points”.

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Russell, P4: Hamilton and P5: Sainz.

    The weather is never certain in Belgium so it can surprise at the most important times, so it could make an appearance during qualifying and through a few shock surprises in there and a mixed up grid.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 26th-

    • Free Practice F3- 09:25am – 10:10am (BST)
    • Free Practice F2- 10:35am – 11:20am
    • Free Practice 1 F1- 13:00pm – 14:00pm
    • Qualifying F3- 14:30pm – 15:00pm
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm
    • Qualifying F2- 17:30pm – 18:00pm

    Saturday 27th-

    • Sprint Race F3- 09:35am – 10:20am (BST)
    • Free Practice 3 F1- 12:00pm – 13:00pm
    • Qualifying F1- 15:00pm – 16:00pm
    • Sprint Race F2- 17:00pm – 17:45pm

    Sunday 28th-

    • Feature Race F3- 07:50am (BST)
    • Feature Race F2- 09:20am
    • F1 Race- 14:00pm

  • Spa Tyre Allocation

    We are back racing this week, and we are in Belgium! Pirelli have chosen the tyres for the Belgian Grand Prix, with Formula 2 and Formula 3 joining us aswell this weekend.

    The middle of the range has been chosen: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft).

    The asphalt is new between Turns 2 and 4, and Turns 8 and 9, with the bumps removed as well as increased grip. Gravel traps have been added close to the track at Turns 1, 6, 7 and 9. The gravel features sharp stones as well as some sharp edges close to the concrete kerbing.

    Spa is one of the most demanding circuits for tyres on the calendar, featuring particularly high later loads. The famous Eau Rouge-Raidilon complex is just one of the places where the tyres are subjected to multiple forces.

    Variable weather is always a famous hallmark of Spa *flashback to last year*, making an outing for the Intermediate or full Wet tyres a distinct possibility.

    Formula 2-

    The medium and soft tyres have been nominated for this weekend, three medium and two soft. The sprint race lasts 18 laps and the Feature Race lasting 25 laps.

    Formula 3-

    Drivers have three new sets to use of the Medium tyres across the weekend, plus another set of mediums carried over from the previous round for use in free practice. The sprint race is 15 laps and the feature race 18 laps.

  • F3 Budapest- Day 1

    Free Practice-

    F3 action resumed bright and early this morning, and it was Jak Crawford who hit the ground running almost immediately. Entering the weekend off the back of his first victory in the Championship last time out in Spielberg, the PREMA Racing driver left it to the last second to knock Zane Maloney off the top spot by a tenth of a second.

    Ideal conditions greeted the field of 30 at the Hungaroring. The session got underway with the field bolting on their sets of red-walled soft tyres, that they carried over form the previous round, and off the bat Josep Maria Marti got up to speed, laying down a 1:36.144.

    Times continued to tumble as David Vidales, Juan Manuel Correa, Gregoire Saucy and Zak O’Sullivan all took turns at the top of the order before Alexander Smolyar followed by Kush Maini put MP Motorsport up into P1.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Crawford, P2: Maloney, P3: Leclerc, P4: Hadjar, P5: Collet, P6: Smolyar, P7: Edgar, P8: Maini, P9: Stanek and P10: Villagomez.

    Qualifying-

    Alexander Smolyar secured pole position around the Hungaroring, avoiding a hectic conclusion to the session following a late red flag stoppage. Though time remained on the clock following a restart with three minutes to go, Zane Maloney was the closest anyone got to the MP Motorsport driver, ending the session second fastest 0.126s down.

    The track fell quiet with 10 minutes gone, Collet leading from Isack Hadjar and Victor Martins. Debutant, Oliver Goethe climbed up to P6 on his second flying lap for Campos Racing but lost his time for exceeding track limits at Turn 4 dropping him down to P10.

    None of the PREMA drivers had recorded a lap time in the opening half of the session due to deletions because of track limits violations. Purple sectors across the board from Arthur Leclerc which put him in P1 with a 1:32.912, whilst teammate Jak Crawford couldn’t quite match. Bearman meanwhile managed to go better than both to secure a PREMA 1-2-3.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Smolyar, P2: Maloney, P3: Bearman, P4: Leclerc, P5: Saucy, P6: Maini, P7: Crawford, P8: Martins, P9: Collet and P10: Hadjar.

  • Hungarian Grand Prix

    Our last race week is here, and summer break is just round the corner… But we return to Hungary for Round 13, where last year we saw a crazy race with Esteban Ocon winning his first F1 race…

    Could we see another crazy race this year? A first time win for a driver… George Russell… Kevin Magnussen.. Or could it be Lewis’ first win of the season? We will have to wait and find out on Sunday…

    Who needs a good weekend?

    Charles Leclerc, he potentially threw away a win last weekend, and I think he knows that… If he really wants to be in this championship fight I think he needs to just get his head down for this weekends race and then have time off and get back to it straight away.

    The Haas team will be wanting a good weekend, no points finish last time out, after scoring in both Silverstone and Austria, but they will be oping to maximise this weekend, and maybe be there on others misfortune….

    Alpha Tauri will be wanting a good weekend, Tsunoda last time out DNF’ed, and Gasly finished 12th, the Frenchman hasn’t scored points since Azerbaijan and Tsunoda since Spain…

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Hamilton and P5: Perez. I’m hoping for a McLaren, both Alpines and maybe a Hass if not both, in the top 10!

    At the time of writing this, it looks like there might be rain for qualifying. I’m kind of hoping there will be, I want a crazy race on Sunday so a qualifying where a few people are out of position will definitely be interesting.

    Times for weekend-

    Friday 29th-

    • Free Practice F3- 08:30am – 9:15am (BST)
    • Free Practice F2- 09:40am – 10:25am
    • Free Practice 1 F1- 13:00pm – 14:00pm
    • Qualifying F3- 14:30pm – 15:00pm
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm
    • Qualifying F2- 17:30pm – 18:00pm

    Saturday 30th-

    • Sprint Race F3- 10:00am – 10:45am (BST)
    • Free Practice 3 F1- 12:00pm – 13:00pm
    • Qualifying F1- 15:00pm – 16:00pm
    • Sprint Race F2- 17:00pm – 17:45pm

    Sunday 31st-

    • Feature Race F3- 09:05am (BST)
    • Feature Race F2- 10:35am
    • F1 Race- 14:00pm

  • Campos confirm Goethe to replace Yeany

    Campos Racing has announced that Oliver Goethe will replace Hunter Yeany for the sixth round of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 season in Budapest this weekend.

    Yeany was forced to withdraw from the previous round in Spielberg after sustaining a broken wrist in the Sprint Race. The American rookie still managed to finish the race but pulled out of the Feature Race the following day.

    Seizing the opportunity, Goethe is determined to gain lots of knowledge and an understanding about the car at a track he is fairly familiar with.

    After beginning his single-seater career in Spanish F4 in 2019, Goethe made the step up to Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2021. Earlier this year he competed in the Formula Regional Asian Championship and won on his debut in the 24H GT Series, taking victory in his GT4 class at the Dubai 24H.

    Currently, the Danish-German driver, who is racing under a Monegasque licence, sits at the top of the Euroformula Open Championship standing, with eight wins and four podiums to his name across the first five rounds including a victory in the Hungarian capital earlier this month.

    I’m extremely excited to make my FIA F3 debut this weekend with Campos! I can’t wait to try out the car and compete amongst the best! It’ll be a great learning experience and I will make the most of it.

    Oliver Goethe on racing this weekend

  • F3 Spielberg- Round-up

    Day 1-

    Showers overnight saw Practice commence around a slippery Red Bull Ring. Fortunately for the 30 drivers the rain held at bay for the whole session, as they took the time to make some exploratory laps on the wet tyres.

    Immediately getting to grips with the challenging conditions, Trident’s Roman Stanek laid down a cautious but representative 1:30.622, before he and MP Motorsport’s Alexander Smolyar began to trade fastest times.

    At the halfway point, it was clear the wet tyre had served their purpose as a dry line had started to form around the Red Bull Ring, taking a gamble, the first driver to switch over to slicks was Arthur Leclerc. Turning the timing screens purple, times tumbled as drivers began clocking in their best laps of the session, the change in conditions saw lap times over 10 seconds quicker than those at the start.

    Arthur Leclerc finished the practice session on the top spot, with Smolyar finished 2nd and Jonny Edgar 3rd.

    Now onto qualifying, HiTech’s Grand Prix, Isack Hadjar claimed his first Formula 3 pole position, going two-tenths clear of title rival and Championship leader Victor Martins who will join his fellow Frenchman on the front row.

    Oliver Bearman bettered PREMA Racing teammate, Arthur Leclerc for P3, whilst Kaylen Frederick made it two Hitech’s in the top five.

    There was no sign of the damp conditions that drivers dealt with in practice, but the wind had picked up from the morning session as Caio Collet was warned of a headwin into Turn 3.

    Day 2-

    Caio Collet covered off Correa to retain the lead into the first corner, whilst Franco Colapinto challenged Crawford for third. Further back it was as much as four wide entering Turn 3.

    Correa got a run into Turn 4 and went around the outside of the MP Motorsport car to take the lead. Colapinto also managed to sneak through on Crawford in the same place before a Safety Car was deployed.

    The Safety Car was withdrawn entering Lap 4, and it was three Tridents that were instantly wheel to wheel, as Zane Maloney and Roman Stanek scrapped, Jonny Edgar slipped up the inside of the pair of of them at Turn 4. Corrrea’s strong start was for nought as on Lap six he coasted to a halt front he race lead to leave Collet at the head of the field.

    On the next lap, Oliver Bearman made a late dive down the inside of Stanek to steal sixth position, however his move opened the door for Leclerc at Turn 4 and both PREMA drivers were through on the Trident man.

    But it was Jak Crawford who wins his first F3 race, Caio Collet in 2nd and Franco Colapinto finished 3rd rounding out the podium. The rest of the top 10 are: P4: Leclerc, P5: Stanek, P6: Frederick, P7: Edgar, P8: Martins, P9: Smolyar and P10: Hadjar.

    Day 3-

    A big challenge arrived for the grid for the Feature Race, as heavy rain at the Red Bull Ring saw the drivers face a contest of attrition on wet tyres, with standing water everywhere and spray creating a lack of visibility, it was up to maiden pole-sitter Hadjar to lead the field away in a rolling start.

    Despite never started from the front row in Formula 3, Hadjar nailed his launch allowing him to hold off an attack from Championship leader Martins. However, an error saw the rookie run wide into Turns 1 and 9, allowing fellow Frenchman Martins to close in on him.

    The pair’s duel wasn’t slowing them down, as they continued to pull a gap to the PREMA duo of Bearman and Leclerc behind. As predicted, conditions began to east and a drier line began to form along the circuit, with the field urgently searching for wet patches of tarmac in order to run the blue walled tyres to the end of the race.

    Outside the points, the two Charouz Racing System drivers of Francisco Pizzi and Zdenek Chovanec made contact whilst Josep Maria Marti charge to try to claim his first points finish in F3 took a knock.

    But it was Hadjar who took the win in Austria, Victor Martins finished 2nd and Oliver Bearman grabs another podium in the bag! The rest of the top 10 are: P4: Leclerc, P5: Maloney, P6: Stanek, P7: Colapinto, P8: Smolyar, P9: Alatalo and P10: Cohen.

    We are back in less than 3 weeks for round 6 at Budapest, Hungary on the 29th to 31st July, where the championship is hotting up!

  • Austrian Grand Prix

    We are on our second week of the double header, and we are heading to the Red Bull Ring, Austria for Round 11. Will Red Bull make it count on home turf, or will Ferrari fight back? The Sprint also returns for the second time this season!

    What can Carlos Sainz do this weekend of the back of his first win? Will he be going for number two already? Will Charles’ strategy go right this weekend? Or will it be another winless or podiumless weekend for him? What can the Bulls do? What can Mercedes do?? So many questions about how the Silver Arrows will do, and I can’t wait to find out!

    Who needs a good weekend?

    Daniel needs a good weekend, it’s just getting repetitive putting him in here. But in all honestly and hopefullness, I hope he does click with the car well this weekend, and its the return of the sprint so a chance to get further up the grid…

    Alpha Tauri needs a good weekend, another non-points finish. If the car struggles in high paced corners, then they will more than likely struggle this weekend, unless they find the right set up.

    Alfa Romeo will be wanting to sort out their reliability sooner rather than later, VB had to retire last race again, and its going to start hurting their championship if this carries on…

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez and P5: Hamilton.

    I feel like Leclerc will just be looking for revenge, so he will do an absolutely stonking lap to put it on pole, but I think Max will be close to him. But if it rains, its going to be another story and we can see the Mercs fight for pole aswell. With a few surprises added in there aswell…

    Times for this weekend-

    Friday 8th-

    • Free Practice F3- 08:55am – 09:40am (BST)
    • Free Practice F2- 10:05am – 10:50am
    • Free Practice 1 F1- 12:30pm – 13:30pm
    • Qualifying F3- 14:00pm – 14:30pm
    • Qualifying F2- 14:55pm – 15:25pm
    • Qualifying F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm

    Saturday 9th-

    • Sprint Race F3- 09:35am – 10:20am (BST)
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 11:30am – 12:30pm
    • Sprint F1- 15:30pm – 16:30pm
    • Sprint Race F2- 16:55pm – 17:40pm

    Sunday 10th-

    • Feature Race F3- 07:35am (BST)
    • Feature Race F2- 09:05am
    • Race- 14:00pm

  • Spielberg Tyre Allocation

    It’s another race week, and we have been given the tyre allocation from Pirelli for this weeks race in Austria.

    The Red Bull Ring in Austria is a short and sharp rollercoaster with only 10 corners and constant elevation changes. Pirelli brings the three softest tyres in the range C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft).

    Last year there were two races at the Red Bull Ring held back-to-back, this weekend is the same tyre nominations as the second race there. It’s designed to help put on a show by increasing degradation and creating more overtaking opportunities. On that occasion, the winning strategy was two-stopper, one opening stint on the medium and then two stints on the hard.

    Austria is home to the second sprint of the season. Instead of the normal 13 set of tyres, this weekend they will 12, two sets of hard, four sets of medium and six sets of soft.

    The asphalt at the Red Bull Ring offers reasonably low grip on a low-severity circuit, which makes it possible to bring the softest tyres in the range. This helps us in putting the focus on entertainment, at a venue that has often delivered exciting races in the past, thanks to a busy and compact lap that’s essentially a series of short corners. Traction and especially braking are key here: with a  particular risk of lock-ups in some of the tricky downhill braking areas. Maintaining the performance of the rear tyres throughout the lap is also vital to ensure adequate traction. Our tyre nomination makes a variety of different potential strategies possible.

    Mario Isla, Motorsport Director

    Formula 2-

    The medium and supersoft tyres have been nominated for Formula 2 in Austria. This is the third time that this combination with an extra step between compounds have been used this season.

    Formula 3-

    For the first time this season, the softest tyre in the Formula 3 range – the soft compound – will be the sole nominated tyre. This is one step softer than 2021, when the medium compound was available at the Red Bull Ring.

  • British Grand Prix

    Once again it’s race week, and we have another double header upon us, with our first stop being at Silverstone for Round 10! The question is how will the British boys do this weekend?

    Can Max make it his seventh win of the season? Or will Ferrari have something up there sleeve? What can Mercedes do with their new upgrades, its going to be an interesting one for sure!

    Who needs a good weekend?

    The McLaren boys need a good weekend, Lando currently sits in 7th in the championship and Daniel in 13th. But I’d probably say Daniel more, as his only scored in 3 races this season… The Papaya team knows they can score good points this weekend if they qualify well, and hopefully put on a good show for all their fans attending and watching from home!

    Alfa Romeo will be looking to get another double points finish this weekend as they try and close down the gap to Alpine, who are just 6 points ahead of them.

    Ferrari’s Leclerc will be looking to take the win this weekend, and hopefully jump Perez in the standings, with the pair separated by three points. Leclerc, done well in Canada considering he started at the back of the grid and managed to finish 5th, what can he do this weekend…

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five for qualifying are- Pole: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez and P5: Hamilton.

    Charles still keeps it consistent in qualifying, but I do feel like it might be closer this weekend. You can also never count out Lewis, especially at Silverstone, but another person not to count out is Russell, his on top form at the moment and he will be wanting to make up for his mistake in Canada’s qualifying.

    Hopefully we see a mixed top 10, with Alpine, McLaren, Alfa Romeo and maybe a Haas thrown in there to shake it all up and which will make for an interesting race on Sunday.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 1st-

    • Free Practice F3- 09:35am – 10:20am (BST)
    • Free Practice F2- 10:45am – 11:30am
    • Free Practice 1 F1- 13:00pm – 14:00pm
    • Qualifying F3- 14:55pm – 15:25pm
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm
    • Qualifying F2- 17:30pm – 18:00pm

    Saturday 2nd-

    • Sprint Race F3- 09:55am – 10:35am (BST)
    • Free Practice 3 F1- 12:00pm – 13:00pm
    • Qualifying F1- 15:00pm – 16:00pm
    • Sprint Race F2- 17:00pm – 17:45pm

    Sunday 3rd-

    • Feature Race F3- 08:35am (BST)
    • Feature Race F2- 10:05am
    • Race- 15:00pm

  • Silverstone Tyre Allocation

    It’s race week once again, and we have another double header! But this week we are going to Silverstone, the race which caused so much controversy last year…

    But, we have the tyre allocation for this weekend, with Pirelli choosing the hardest in the range C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium) and C3 (Soft).

    Ultra-rapid and high-energy corners such as Maggotts and Becketts complex aren’t the only challenge, as the weather can be extremely variable from bright sunshine to heavy rain.

    Last year’s race was won with two tyre changes: one of them being taken under an early red flag period following the Max and Lewis collision. Nearly all the drivers competed two stints on the medium plus a final one on the hard.

    This year, the compounds and structures are different, and there’s no sprint qualifying either – which was a factor in last year’s strategy.

    The British Grand Prix was where the new show car for the 2022 season was displayed last year, to highlight the future direction of the sport that we have embarked on from this season. The latest aerodynamic regulations are designed to allow drivers to follow each other more closely for longer to give more chance of overtaking, as we saw in Canada, while the tyres are designed to provide less overheating, more stability, and increased driveability within a wider working window. All these aspects will be tested this weekend, on one of the most challenging tracks for tyres of the year.

    Mario Isla, Motorsport Director

    Formula 2-

    The hard and Soft tyres are nominated for this weekend at Silverstone, a change from last year when the hard and medium were used. The extra step between the compounds will provide additional one-lap performance and more strategic variability in the races.

    Formula 3-

    The hard tyre is nominated as the single compound: the third appearance in four rounds. The nomination is the same as Formula 3’s previous visits to Silverstone in 2019 and 2020.

  • F2 & F3 to race in Melbourne from 2023

    Following Formula One’s announcement that the Australian Grand Prix will stay in Melbourne until 2035, the FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 promoters have announced that from 2023 both championships will feature the Albert Park circuit on their calendars, subject to World Motor Sport Council approval.

    The surprise announcement was made as part of the new deal, since F1 has been racing at the Albert Park circuit in 1996, it has never been joined by its main support series.

    The trip to Melbourne will be the furthest either championship has ventured from their European heartlands.

    F2’s predecessor GP2, previously reached the Pacific region with rounds at Sepang in Malaysia and Singapore’s Marina Bay Circuit. F3 was scheduled to debut in the United States in 2021 but the event was cancelled because of logistical issues.

    This great news for Formula 2 and 3, as well as fans! I feel like both series’ are getting more and more fans, as they both race on the same weekends as F1 and it’s shown by them going further afield and securing their place in motorsport.

    I am extremely happy to add Melbourne to both F2 and F3 calendars from 2023. It further enhances the international aspect of both our championships, having them race on a new continent. It also shows that more and more circuits believe that F2 and F3 are an added value to the Formula 1 Grand Prix experience, showcasing the next generation of drivers.

    FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 CEO, Bruno Michel.

  • Spanish Grand Prix

    It is race week once again, but this time it’s the start of a double header! We are in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix which is Round 6 out of 22. It is also the home grand prix of Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso!

    The drivers have a lot of knowledge of this track with it being one of the test tracks but how will the new cars/tyres and upgrades fair here? It is all to play for once again…

    Who needs a good weekend?

    Daniel Ricciardo, plain and simple, seems like since Australia his not that comfortable int he car compared to Lando, if McLaren are bringing upgrades this weekend could be his turning point and get a better grip of the car.

    The Haas pair, I feel like I haven’t spoke about them together yet… But last time out in Imola it looked like they were both set for points but it didn’t end that way. So both drivers will be wanting to get points on the board this weekend and give the team a good result.

    Alpha Tauri, need a good weekend not just for one driver either, they need it as a team. Last time we was racing, Pierre Gasly had the incident with Lando Norris so scored no points and Yuki finished just outside the points also too.

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top 5 are: Pole: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez and P5: Norris. We all know the battle for pole is going to be between Ferrari and Red Bull, but Ferrari are bringing big upgrades to this weekend grand prix.

    But the battle for 4th/ 5th and 6th will be the most interesting though, as McLaren are said to brought upgrades as well as Mercedes and Alfa Romeo have a strong car. McLaren and Mercedes will be hoping to get both their drivers in the top 10.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 20th-

    • Free Practice 1 F1- 13:00pm – 14:00pm (BST)
    • Qualifying F3- 14:30pm – 15:00pm
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm
    • Qualifying F2- 17:30pm – 18:00pm

    Saturday 21st-

    • Sprint Race F3- 10:00am – 10:40am (BST)
    • Free Practice 3 F1- 12:00pm – 13:00pm
    • Qualifying F1- 15:00pm – 16:00pm
    • Sprint Race F2- 16:40pm – 17:25pm

    Sunday 22nd-

    • Feature Race F3- 09:05am (BST)
    • Feature Race F2- 10:35am
    • Round 6- 14:00pm