Invicta Racing have confirmed the signing of the 2025 Formula 3 Champion Rafael Camara for the 2026 season, completing their line-up for next year.
After a stellar campaign in F3, during which he achieved four victories, five pole positions and podiums in total on his way to winning the title with a round to spare, Camara will now step up to Formula 2 with Invicta.
Camara graduates to the second tier with an impressive record in single seater racing having won the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and finished third in the Middle East equivalent that same year and in 2023 also.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member will now step up to Formula 2 with Invicta, racing alongside Joshua Duerksen.
I’m very proud to be joining Invicta Racing for my first season in Formula 2. Over the past few years, this team has become the top target for any driver who wants to race in F2 and has shown time and again that it knows how to develop young drivers. To follow Gabriel Bortoleto and Leonardo Fornaroli in making this step as Formula 3 Champion is a huge honour. After an incredible season in F3 this year, I feel ready for the next challenge, and I can’t wait to get started with the team. Camara on the news.
We’re thrilled to welcome Rafael to Invicta Racing for 2026. At every stage of his career to date, he’s shown pace, consistency, and maturity, delivering outstanding results that really speak for themselves. To have the reigning Formula 3 champion join the team for a third consecutive season underlines our commitment to providing the very best young talent with a platform to perform at the highest level, and we’re very excited to see what Rafael can achieve next season. James Robinson, Invicta Racing Team Principal.
DAMS Lucas Oil have announced their first driver signing of the 2026 season, with Dino Beganovic set to race for the team next year.
Beganovic is in the midst of his first full campaign in Formula 2 and is currently eighth in the Drivers’ Standings with one victory and pole position, as well as four podiums in total.
Prior to that, the Swede competed in the final two rounds of the 2024 F2 season with DAMS, achieving a third-place finish in the Yas Marina Sprint Race.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member also achieved nine podiums, which included two wins during his two seasons in Formula 3.
Beganovic also won the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine after finishing third in the 2020 Italian F4 season.
I’m extremely happy to return to DAMS Lucas Oil for another season in Formula 2. I felt an instant connection with the team last year — both on a professional and human level — and we showed great potential together, including a podium in Abu Dhabi. I’m grateful for the trust they’ve placed in me, and for the continued support from the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy. The goal now is to build on the progress we’ve made and fight consistently at the front. Beganovic on the news.
We were impressed by Dino’s maturity and professionalism during his first outings with us. His work ethic, technical understanding and consistency perfectly match the values of our team. We’re thrilled to welcome him back for this next step in his career, and we’re confident we can achieve great things together. Charles Pic, DAMS Lucas Oil Team Owner.
Tuukka Taponen will return for a second season in Formula 3 next year, making the move to MP Motorsport for the 2026 campaign.
The 18 year old had a stellar rookie year in F3, achieving three podiums on his way to finishing ninth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Prior to that, the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member had a trophy-laden step karting career, before making the step up to single seater racing in 2021.
Taponen then finished second in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship, before becoming the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Champion. Later that year, he took third in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.
He is now set to continue in Formula 3 for another season, and is delighted to be back and to be racing with MP.
I’m really pleased to join MP Motorsport for my second year in Formula 3. It’s wonderful news to have confirmation of my immediate future so early. It means that I have a productive winter with the team and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy ahead of me, as we work together on the best possible preparation for the 2026 season. MP is one of the leading teams in the championship, having finished third in this year’s teams standings, and I look forward to becoming part of their family and adding to their success. Taponen on the news.
At MP Motorsport, we are all happy to welcome Tuukka into our Formula 3 squad for 2026. Ever since his promotion from karts, Tuukka’s quick rise through the ranks has been remarkable. He has been one of our fiercest rivals in the past two years, so having him on our side for 2026 is absolutely great news. Along with Mattia and Alessandro, Tuukka will add to MP’s strong 2026 line-up of extremely talented youngsters all capable of fighting at the sharp end of the Formula 3 grid. MP Motorsport Team Principal, Sander Dorsman.
Dino Beganovic will be driving for Ferrari in replacement of Charles Leclerc, in the first free practice session at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
It marks the second time that Beganovic has replaced Leclerc so far this season, with the Monegasque also making way in FP1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix in April.
Beganovic is currently competing in his first full season of F2, with the Hitech GP team, claiming two podium finishes across the opening 12 races of 2025. The Swedish driver is a champion in Formula Regional European as well as being a race winner in Formula 3.
The 21 year old has been a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2020, and took his first steps in F1 machinery this year, representing the Scuderia in a TPC (Testing of Previous Car) test in Barcelona in January.
Ramos held firm into Turn 1, but Bilinski had to fight back past Stenshorne with a late dive into Turn 4 having lots out in the first corner to the Hitech TGR driver. It also opened the door for Campos Racing’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak to follow through, but their fight was far from over.
The Rodin then swept by Matias Zagazeta for second into Turn 9, but waiting in the wings, Inthraphuvasak, went into third around the outside into the chicane. Stenshorne fired back before the end lap, re-passing the pair into Turn 11 to move back into second, while Inthraphuvasak lost out to Zagazeta for fourth before the end of the lap.
A Virtual Safety Car was called upon as the second tour began. Charlie Wurz’s Trident in need of recovering after stopping at Turn 5.
Back to green flag racing on Lap 3, Tramnitz was tucked in the slipstream of Inthraphuvasak and he took fifth with an around-the-outside pass at Turn 9.
The Safety Car was called upon in short order though, Rafael Camara and Laurens van Hoepen both in the gravel at Turn 12 following contact with James Wharton, who also retired at the end of the lap with suspension damage.
Tramnitz had been up to fifth after passing Inthraphuvasak before the Safety Car. But an apparent issue under the Safety Car forced him to slow and drop to the back, before he eventually retired from the Sprint.
Racing got back underway entering Lap 9, with Ramos holding on to his lead from Stenshorne, Bilinski, Zagazeta and Inthraphuvasak in the top five, as they broke away from the rest of the pack.
On Lap 13, Stenshorne got a good run into Turn 11 and forced the Mexican driver to defend the corner, but he couldn’t find a route through. At the back of the leading queue, Inthraphuvasak made a pass stick on Zagazeta into Turn 1 to claim fourth on Lap 15. But their battling allowed the top three to escape three seconds up the road.
Another Safety Car was called upon with five laps to go after contact between Bruno Del Pino and Javier Sagrera into Turn 6, leaving both in the gravel.
The clean up operation meant that there was not enough time to get back to green flag racing, allowing Ramos to lead the field over the line for his first F3 win.
The full top 10 are- P1: Ramos, P2: Stenshorne, P3: Bilinksi, P4: Inthraphuvasak, P5: Zagazeta, P6: Bedrin, P7: Nael, P8: Tsolov, P9: Voisin and P10: Leon.
Day 3-
After several formation laps behind the Safety Car, racing got underway in the Feature Race with a rolling start, and pole sitter Camara launched into a sizeable lead over Stromsted.
The Safety Car was called upon before the end of the first lap however, with Nikola Tsolov and Callum Voisin off the road at Turn 10.
Back to racing conditions entering Lap 6, Camara re-established a healthy gap back to Stromsted in second.
McLaren Development Drivers Ugo Ugochukwu and Martinius Stenshorne went into battle on Lap 8 at Turn 4, the Norwegian slicing his way by the PREMA Racing for P8. Ugochukwu lost another place on Lap 9 to Roman Bilinski after running wide at Turn 11, opening the door for the Rodin Motorsport driver to go through for ninth.
The rain intensity picked up on Lap 11, making things even trickier for the drivers as they fought through the spray, though Camara was taking full advantage of his clear view, five seconds clear of the pack.
The Safety Car was back out on Lap 13, with DAMS Lucas Oil driver Christian Ho in the barriers at Turn 7.
After several laps behind the Safety Car, the Red Flags were thrown on Lap 18 of 20, and with the weather not improving, the Feature Race was called.
The full top 10 are- P1: Camara, P2: Stromsted, P3: Nael, P4: Bedrin, P5: Tramnitz, P6: Wurz, P7: Inthraphuvasak, P8: Stenshorne, P9: Bilinski and P10: Ugochukwu.
Ferrari have announced that Maya Weug will once again represent the team, with the Dutch racer switching to compatriots MP Motorsport for the 2025 F1 Academy season.
Weug returns for her sophomore campaign in the series after achieving eight podiums last year, including her maiden single-seater victory in Race 3 at Yas Marina, on her way to finish third in the Drivers’ Standings.
The 20 year old joins the previously announced Alba Hurup Larsen at MP and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member expressed her delight at teaming up with the Dutch team.
I can’t wait to get started with MP Motorsport for my second season in F1 ACADEMY. We’ll be working hard all year and fighting for more wins. Super proud to be racing in Ferrari colours again for 2025! It’s actually the first time in my motorsport career that I will represent a Dutch team, so that alone is quite special. MP have done well in the first two F1 ACADEMY seasons, always running up front and taking their share of wins, and it’s definitely my goal to add to those wins and challenge for the title. I very much look forward to competing in this year’s 14 races supporting the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends and showing the world what we’re made of. Maya Weug on the news.
Aurelia Nobels has become the 11th full-time driver to be confirmed for the 2025 season, with the Brazilian continuing with F1 Academy Official Partner PUMA.
Nobels joined F1 Academy after campaigns in Brazilian F4 in 2022, followed by the Italian F4 and Euro 4 Championships in 2023.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy prospect went on to achieve six points finishes last year which includes a best result of fifth in Zandvoort.
Finishing the season 12th overall, Nobels will be eyeing more success as she finalises ART Grand Prix’s roster for the upcoming season. The 18 year old will race alongside Williams’ Lia Block and newcomer Courtney Crone for Haas.
I’m thrilled to announce I will be continuing my journey in F1 ACADEMY with ART Grand Prix in 2025. Partnering with Puma is an incredible honour and I’m grateful for their belief in me. I’m ready to embrace the challenges, push boundaries and make 2025 unforgettable! Nobels on the news.
Hitech Pulse-Eight have confirmed that Dino Beganovic will be stepping up to Formula 2 full-time next season, completing their 2025 lineup.
Beganovic graduated to F2 for the final two rounds of the 2025 season, scoring 22 points across the Lusail and Yas Marina weekend, including a P3 finish in the final Sprint Race of the year.
This followed his title-contending 2024 Formula 3 season in which he achieved two victories and a further two podiums on his way to ending up sixth in the Standings.
Prior to that, the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member won the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and following the announcement of his plans for 2025, the Swede expressed his delight at the news.
I’m thrilled to join Hitech GP for my first full season in Formula 2 next year. Having had a brief introduction to F2 over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been really impressed by the car and the level of the championship. Stepping up full time in 2025 with one of the series’ top teams is an amazing opportunity. I’m tremendously grateful to Hitech, Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, and everyone else who made this possible. It’s a big, important step in my career and I can’t wait to start working with the team this week at the post-season test. Beganovic on the news.
We’re delighted to welcome Dino for our 2025 Formula 2 campaign. Having competed against him for several years, it is great to have him driving for Hitech and we look forward to working with him. Dino’s record in single-seater racing is impressive. After two highly competitive seasons in Formula 3, he took his F2 debut in his stride in Lusail, demonstrating that he was ready to take the next step up the ladder. His performance in Abu Dhabi one week later was outstanding. Together with Luke, we have a strong line-up to fight for the Formula 2 Championship title next year. They each bring F2 race experience that will be invaluable heading into testing and the new season. Clive Hatton, HiTech Team Manager.
Trident have become the first team to finalise their 2025 Formula 3 line-up as they have announced that Rafael Camara would be racing for them next season.
Camara makes the step up to F3 after a title winning campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship, where he has recorded 10 podiums which includes six victories.
Prior to that, the Brazilian driver had several title successes in karting before graduating to single seater racing in 2022. That year, he finished second in the Formula 4 UAE Championship and third in both the Italian F4 and ADAC F4 categories.
In 2023, he finished third in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship and fifth in his rookie Formula Regional European campagin. He then returned to both categories this year, and after finishing third in this year’s Formula Regional Middle East Championship, the Scuderia Ferrari junior went on to win the FRECA title.
I’m very happy to join Trident, it is such a great Team and it’s very nice to be part of it. I can’t wait to start working with everyone and see what we can achieve together. Of course the expectations are high, I think next year we will for sure be targeting to fight for the championship. I know it will not be easy and we still need to do a lot of work for the moment as it is not only a new car but also a new team, so everything will be new for me. As I said, I can’t wait to start to work. I always want to win but we keep our head down and we do the best we can. My goal is to be prepared for the beginning of the season, to do a good job with the team and do the best I can, always, and be on the top with Trident. Camara on the news.
We are extremely happy and proud to announce that Rafael Câmara will be part of our line-up for the 2025 season. He is an undeniably talented driver, the reigning champion of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, as well as a Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy driver, and we are truly proud to have him with us. Additionally, we are excited to renew our relationship with the FDA program and its drivers. Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.
Ferrari junior Ollie Bearman has secured a full-time seat in Formula 1 from 2025 after agreeing a multi-year deal with American team Haas.
The 19 year old impressed the world of Formula 1 when he stood in at late notice for the unwell Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in Saudi Arabia. The Brit scored points on debut with a superb drive to seventh.
Bearman is currently competing in F2 with PREMA and took his first win of the season and fourth of his career a few weekends ago in Austria in the Sprint Race.
He dovetails those duties with his role as reserve drivers for Haas and Ferrari in Formula 1. He is also completing six FP1 appearances with Haas this year, the third of which was at Silverstone last weekend.
With Nico Hulkenberg departing for Sauber/Audi next year and Kevin Magnussen’s contract expiring at the end of 2024, that leaves seat still up for grabs at Haas.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon is a leading contender for the seat, with Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas also believed to be under consideration. However, Magnussen could also fight his way into contention to keep his seat if he can consistently repeat performance like his one in Austria.
t’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me. To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for Haas F1 Team makes me so immensely proud. To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing what they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible. To Gene [Haas, team owner], Ayao [Komatsu, Haas Team Principal] and everyone at Haas, thank you for believing in me and for trusting me to represent your team. I’ve really enjoyed working with everyone since the first time we met in Mexico and I can’t wait to enjoy this moment with them and hopefully many more in the future. To everyone at the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, quite simply, I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for preparing me since F4 for this incredible opportunity and know I will give it everything I have. Bearman on the news.
It’s an exciting thing to be able to give a young driver as talented as Oliver Bearman his first full-time seat in Formula 1. He’s developed into an incredibly mature driver under the guidance of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy and the world saw that for themselves when he was called in at the last minute to compete at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Oliver proved he was more than ready for the task, and we’ve seen that for ourselves running him in the Haas cars in our FP1 sessions over the past two seasons. We’re looking forward to further developing him as a driver and reaping the benefits of his talent – both inside and outside of the car. Oliver’s a great guy and a very welcome addition to the team when he joins us for the FP1 weekends. Now we know that relationship is going to be longer-term, it’s a positive thing for all concerned. Haas Team Principal, Komatsu.
Isack Hadjar was fastest of all in the Spielberg free practice session, after he completed a lap of 1:16.441 to set the pace ahead of qualifying.
The Campos racing driver was over two-tenths clear out front of Hitech Pulse Eight’s Paul Aron in second and DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford in third.
It was PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman that led the way early on though thanks to a time of 1:17.011, putting him 0.076s clear of MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger in second.
The fastest time continued to change hands and next to top the timesheets was Paul Aron. The Hitech driver’s time of 1:16.680 put him two-tenths in front of ART Grands Prix Victor Martins.
Fresh from his Feature Race victory in Barcelona, Crawford looked to be continuing that fine form as he went up to second, 0.162s off Aron’s leading time.
The Red flags were waved moments later after AIX Racing’s Taylor Barnard pulled over to the side of the road on the main straight.
With the track then clear, the session resumed to green flag conditions and Crawford once again improved on his best effort.
Campos’ Hadjar then took over at the top of the leaderboard on a 1:16.624 eclipsing Aron’s time by just 0.056s. The Frenchman then extended his lead out front on his next flying effort, this time setting a lap of 1:16.441.
No one could improve late on, which left Hadjar with the fastest time ahead of Aron and Crawford.
Qualifying-
MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger sealed his second pole position of the season after a close battle with AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen in a dramatic Spielberg Qualifying.
The Norwegian driver completed a lap of 1:15.487 to lead Duerksen by just 0.008s, as Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top three.
It was Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar that led the way in the early stages though, an opening time of 1:15.828 put him over two-tenths clear of Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron in second.
While most went for cool down laps, others continued to push but no one could trouble the top two. Returning to the pitlane, Hadjar had smoke coming from the rear of his car, with the issue ruling him out the remained of the session.
With five minutes left, the final few laps started and after leading the rest of the field around the track, Hauger went to the top of the timesheets with a 1:15.487.
The Paraguayan improved further on his next flying lap to go within 0.008s of top spot, but in the end Hauger held on to pole position with Bortoleto in third.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Hauger, P2: Duerksen, P3: Bortoelto, P4: Colapinto, P5: Aron, P6: Barnard, P7: Hadjar, P8: Marti, P9: Bearman and P10: Maini.
Day 2-
It was a superb start for Bearman as he took the lead from pole-sitter Kush Maini on the run up to Turn 1. The Invicta Racing driver then ost another place to Marti later in the lap.
By the end of lap 3, Bearman was now over two seconds clear of Marti. The Spaniard was also out of DRS range of Maini in third who was coming under attack from Taylor Barnard, Paul Aron and his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto.
At the start of lap 6, the gaps were starting to close, as Marti had moved to within a second a half of Bearman, while Maini was now within DRS range of the Campos rookie.
Barnard though was beginning to loose touch with Maini in the battle for P3, and the AIX Racing driver then dropped down to fifth after Aron dived down his inside at Turn 3. Back at the front, Bearman’s margin had gone with Marti now within DRS range of the Briton, with Maini just behind as they started lap 9.
At the halfway stage of the race, Joshua Duerksen made his way past his AIX Racing teammate Barnard after diving down his inside on the entry to turn 3.
Maini was beginning to struggle on lap 20 and fell out of DRS range of Marti up ahead. The Invicta driver then lost his place on the podium to Aron at the exit of Turn 3 on the next lap, with teammate Bortoleto following the Estonian through at the next corner.
But this allowed Bearman and Marti to escape on the road with Aron and Bortoleto now over a second away from the top two fighting for the final spot on the podium. The battles had also started further back as Duerksen lost P7 to Hauger on lap 24.
By the end of lap 26, Bearman had extended his lead to over one second to Marti while Bortoleto was all over the back of Aron. Just behind them, Maini lost out to the two MP drivers Colapinto and Hauger and dropped to seventh.
Onto the final lap, and Bearman extended his lead to nearly two seconds before crossing the line to take victory ahead of Marti, while Aron held off Bortoleto to take his seventh podium of the year.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bearman, P2: Marti, P3: Aron, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Hauger, P6: Crawford, P7: Maini, P8: Duerksen, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Martins.
Day 3-
There was drama before the lights even went out, as pole-sitter Dennis Hauger at the start of the formation lap, alongside Kush Maini and Jak Crawford, forcing the three drivers to start from the pitlane.
This then left Duerksen as the lead car on the grid and he made a fast start ahead of Bortoleto with Colapinto in third and Championship leader Paul Aron in fourth.
Colapinto was the lone driver in the top five to start on the softs and he was coming under pressure from Aron and Isack Hadjar who were on supersofts. Further up the road, Duerksen and Bortoleto were now battling for the lead with the Brazilian making the move down the inside at Turn 4 on Lap 4.
On lap 6, Josep Maria Marti lost P6 to sprint race winner, Oliver Bearman, the Prema racer getting past at the exit of turn 3. Moments later, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed with Zane Maloney stopping on track. After his Rodin Motorsport car was cleared, racing resumed with a number of supersoft runners then pitting for the softs.
That included Marti, Duerksen, Bortoleto, Taylor Barnard, Richard Verschoor and Andrea Kimi Antonelli – with the latter stalling in the pitlane dropping him to the back of the field.
Onto lap 18 and Aron had now got past Duerksen, and further up the road, Bortoleto was now right on the back of Marti in the battle for what would turn out to be the lead of the race. The Brazilian driver dived down the inside of his fellow rookie at Turn 3 to take the position.
Enzo Fittipaldi was having a strong day as he made his way past his Van Amersfoort Racing teammate Rafael Villagomez and Trident’s Roman Stanek with Duerksen his next target in P9.
The battle between the two Campos drivers then resumed on lap 32, just as the leader Colapinto made his mandatory pit stop. The MP rookie came back out in P8 behind a squabbling Fittipaldi and Duerksen. But he quickly overtook both of them at Turns 3 and 4 on lap 35, putting him up to fifth and just under three seconds behind Aron.
Out front, Bortoleto’s lead over Hadjar was over three and a half seconds, with the Frenchman coming under pressure from Marti, Aron and a flying Colapinto.
The Argentine took P4 from Aron at Turn 4 on Lap 38, before moving past Marti on the next tour. Onto the final lap, he overtook Hadjar for second but there was no catching Bortoleto, who crossed the line to take his first Formula 2 victory.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Colapinto, P3: Hadjar, P4: Fittipaldi, P5: Aron, P6: Durksen, P7: Cordeel, P8: Barnard, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Crawford.
MP Motorsport driver Dennis Hauger made a solid start to this weekend’s action in Jeddah setting the fastest time in free practice.
Hauger led the way for most of the session but completed a lap of 1:43.793 late in the proceedings to lead his nearest rival, Kush Maini by over a tenth.
The Norwegian and the rest of the 21 drivers were quickly out on track setting fast laps on the medium tyre as they looked to get up to speed around Jeddah in the 45 minutes of practice time ahead of Qualifying.
With 15 minutes of running in the books, Hauger had set the benchmark time thanks to his lap of 1:45.558 with Enzo Fittipaldi in second 0.197s behind. Moments later Fittipaldi’s Van Amersfoort Racing teammate Rafael Villagomez brought out the Red Flags after the Mexican driver crashed into the barriers at Turn 17.
The drivers were back on track setting laps with a quarter of the session remaining. The track was now offering more grip which Hauger used to his advantage to improve on his pace-setting efforts twice, before completing a final lap of 1:43.793 to end the quickest of all.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hauger, P2: Maini, P3: Martins, P4: Bearman, P5: Crawford, P6: Verschoor, P7: Correa, P8: Maloney, P9: Antonelli and 10: Bortoleto.
Qualifying-
Oliver Bearman had been targeting a rebound from Sakhir and secured pole position in style in a head-to-head against Kush Maini. The PREMA driver set a 1:42.217 to beat the Invicta Racing driver to pole by just 0.025s. Jak Crawford made a late improvement to secure third on the grid for DAMS Lucas Oil.
At the start, two preparation laps gave way to the first flying efforts, and it was Bearman who set the pace to beat with a time of 1:43.207. Despite having two purple sectors in one and two, Kush Maini filtered through in P2.
There was a larger gap after the top two, with Richard Verschoor leading the next group of runners. The Dutchman set a decent first effort in his Trident as his time of a 1:43.774 saw him go third-fastest.
A return to the pits for fresh tyres gave way to more fast laps and Roman Stanek of Trident was the first to record an improvement, taking provisional pole with a 1:42.747.
Aron then provided the next best effort, lowering the time to beat until Bearman delivered a 1:42.217 to take the top spot. Into the final three minutes and the drivers began their next set of push laps. Crawford lifted his DAMS into third. Bearman bailed on his final lap leaving Maini to finish just 0.020s down.
The full top 10 is – P1: Bearman, P2: Maini, P3: Crawford, P4: Martins, P5: Fittipaldi, P6: Antonelli, P7: Hauger, P8: Hadjar, P9: Verschoor and P10: Aron.
However… Ollie Bearman has now been withdrawn from F2 this weekend as he makes his F1 debut for Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz who has appendicitis.
Ferrari have announced that Oliver Bearman and Arthur Leclerc will step up to respective reserve and development driver roles for the 2024 season, providing extra support to the iconic F1 team.
Bearman will share the reserve role with former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman ready to step in should either Leclerc or Sainz be unable to race.
Arthur Leclerc, meanwhile joins Antonio Fuoco and Davide Rigon in the development driver ranks, which includes working in the simulator, car development, set up works and any updates throughout the season.
After an impressive rookie season that saw him take four race wins, six podium finishes and placed sixth in the championship standings, British driver Bearman will stay in F2 for a sophomore campaign with Prema Racing this year.
As for Leclerc, brother of Charles, the Monegasque will move from the single-seater category to the Italian GT Championship, having recently left the Ferrari Driver Academy but stayed within the manufacturer’s overall set-up.
Ferrari Driver Academy member, Maya Weug has been announced as PREMA Racing’s third driver for the 2024 F1 Academy season with the reigning Drivers’ and Teams’ Champions the first to finalise their roster.
Born in Spain, 19 year old Weug started karting aged seven, she went on to become Vice Champion in the Spanish Championship in 2015, before going on to make her debut in the European Karting Championship two years later.
She became the inaugural winner of the FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars programme and broke new ground, becoming the first female driver to join the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2021. The same year, Weug made her single seater debut in Italian and German F4, achieving points in her sophomore campaign with a best result of sixth.
Joining the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine grid. Weug went on to claim one rookie victory alongside several top 10 finishes.
I’m super excited to get back on track this season! I’m sure it will be a great season working together with such a prestigious team as PREMA in the second year of an interesting category like F1 Academy. It is a great honor to represent Ferrari again this season and I can’t wait to continue the hard work with the Academy and PREMA to prepare the season the best way possible!
Weug on the news.
We deeply respected Maya as a competitor, and we were always impressed by her potential and achievements. We are really delighted to finally get her on board for the second season of F1 Academy, and we think we will do a great job together. Our lineup is really promising, with three outstanding racers and the support of three great Formula 1 teams. We are proud of the trust we received and cannot wait for the season to start.
PREMA Racing have retained Oliver Bearman for the 2024 Formula 2 season, announcing that their partnership with the Ferrari Academy junior will continue for a third consecutive campaign.
Bearman’s relationship with the Italian team began in 2022, where the Brit scored one win and eight podiums on his way to finish third in Formula 3. Graduating to the second tier last year, he delivered an impressive rookie campaign, earning four wins and three pole positions to finish sixth overall.
The 18 year old has already made history on his path up through the single seater ladder since his debut campaign in 2020. In 2021, he became the first driver to clinch both the ADAC and Italian F4 Championship titles before earning a promotion to Formula 3.
I’m really happy to be joining PREMA Racing again in Formula 2. I’ve come a long way as a driver and as a person these two years thanks to them, and I’m excited to continue the work we have been doing into next season.
Bearman on the news as he looks on to build on the rapid progress he has made with the team.
It is great to have Ollie back with us for another year after the great seasons he had with us so far. The way he adapted, improved, and developed is outstanding, and we cannot wait to see what this progress will take us further down the road. We also think that the experience he had this year will help him and the team in adapting to the new car. It’s definitely going to be an interesting and promising experience.
Dino Beganovic will be returning to Formula 3 with PREMA Racing, becoming the first driver announced for the 2024 campaign. The Swede made his F3 debut this year with the Italian team, finishing his maiden campaign in sixth in the Drivers’ championship.
The partnership between Beganovic and PREMA is a longstanding one, with the 19 year old having first raced for the team back in 2020 when he claimed P3 in Italian F4.
He continued with PREMA in 2020 and 2021, moving up to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, achieving a P13 finish before winning the series in ’21 taking four victories and a further 10 podiums along the way.
In 2023, the Ferrari Academy junior, scored four podium finishes in F3 and a further six top 10 finishes. Beganovic said that he was pleased to a continuing with the team next year having achieved so much already in PREMA colours.
During post-season testing, Beganovic was the fastest driver at Jerez finishing the second day with a 1:29.900. He also ended the Barcelona test on top leading the afternoon session on Day 2.
I’m super happy to confirm that I’m staying for another year with my team, PREMA Racing, in Formula 3. It’s very nice to stay with the team as it will be our fifth year together. I cannot wait to continue the work we have done together throughout the years, starting from Formula 4. Our targets are clear and have been set high, but they are achievable. We will continue to focus on the testing sessions to prepare as much as possible for the first race next year.
Beganovic on the seat.
We always enjoyed working with Dino. He is a quick and knowledgeable driver and works really well in our team’s environment. With the experience gained this year, he will make his challenge even more solid and by what we saw so far in testing, there is great promise for sure. We are very happy to continue the path we started together in 2020, and we look forward to seeing what the future will bring.
Ferrari junior driver, Oliver Bearman will make his Formula 1 race weekend debut when he drives a Haas in first practice session in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.
Bearman, 18, has won four races in his rookie F2 campaign this season and currently sits sixth in the drivers’ standings with one round to go.
The Brit is the latest in a string of Ferrari Driver Academy racers who have previously driven Haas machinery in practice sessions, the list including, Charles Leclerc, Mick Schumacher, Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman.
F1 teams are required to run a young driver – defined as someone who has started no more than two Grand Prix – in two FP1 sessions per season.
Bearman who won the 2021 Italian F4 Championship before joining the Ferrari Academy later that year, will be in Qatar this weekend to begin embedding himself in the team ahead of the two practice outings. He will dovetail his run in Abu Dhabi with the F2 season finale at the same venue on the same weekend.
We’re very happy to offer Oliver Bearman these outings in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. He’s had a stellar rookie season in Formula 2, four wins is testament to that, and as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy – we know his background preparation coming into these weekends will be first-rate. We look forward to welcoming Oliver into the team and have him drive the VF-23.
Guenther Steiner, Haas boss.
I am so happy to be joining Haas driving in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. Getting to Formula 1 has been my dream since I was go-karting so to be driving a car for the first time this year is really special. I’m grateful to the team, and of course Ferrari, for allowing me this chance. I’m working hard to make sure I’m ready to support the team as best I can on both occasions.
DAMS have announced that Ferrari junior, Arthur Leclerc will be joining the French team for his debut Formula 2 season in 2023.
Leclerc steps up off the back of two solid Formula 3 campaigns with PREMA Racing, where he scored victories in his rookie season at Le Castellet and Zandvoort.
Returning for a second campaign this year, the 22 year old finished sixth in the Drivers’ Championship with one win in the Silverstone feature race and further feature race podium in Sakhir.
He got his first taste of F2 machinery with DAMS during the post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit this week.
The Monegasque driver has been steadily rising through the ranks across the past five seasons. His debut year in single-seaters came in 2018 French F4 Champuonship where he finished fifth, before switching over to the ADAC Formula 4 Championship the following year, finishing third.
In 2020, Leclerc scored six victories, 12 podiums and eight pole positions on his way to claiming second in the Formula Regional European Championship Standings with PREMA and continued with the team on his move up to F3. At the start of 2022, he also took third in the Formula Regional Asian Championship.
I’m delighted to be making the step up to Formula 2 with DAMS in 2023. They’re a very successful team that has achieved great results in the championship, and I hope I can be a part of that and continue the team’s success. Charles Pic has done an amazing job to help the team back to winning ways throughout the season and I’m aiming to keep that going next year. We’ve a lot of work to do before the start of the new campaign in Bahrain in March, and I’m really looking forward to getting started in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi!
Leclerc on his move.
It’s great to have Arthur join DAMS for 2023. We’ve seen his talent and skill throughout his career so far, and he’s shown in the last two years in F3 that he’s capable of challenging for victories. We’re excited to have him in the car for the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, preparing for next season. The team is aiming for a strong campaign in 2023, and we’ve no doubt that the addition of Arthur will help us towards our goals.
Mick Schumacher’s relationship with Ferrari is to conclude in December, meaning that the German driver will be a free agent as he searches for a seat for 2023.
Schumacher’s original Ferrari Driver Academy contract will come to what one source called a ‘natural end’ after this season.
Although there has been no confirmation from Haas, its accepted in the paddock that Schumacher won’t be retained by the US-owned team for a third season in 2023, with Antonio Giovinazzi currently a favourite to land the seat.
The remaining open drives on the grid include, Alpine, Williams, McLaren, Alfa Romeo and Alpha Tauri. The latter being associated with IndyCar driver, Colton Herta.
Schumacher first became associated with Ferrari at the start of 2019, when he was announced as a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, having won the previous year’s European F3 championship.
He was given his first F1 test in the SF90 in Bahrain, in Aprin 2019, before having a second outing for Alfa Romeo the following day. He then raced with Ferrari’s support for the Prema F2 team in 2019 and 2020, winning the title in his second season.
With Charles Leclerc, and then more recently Carlos Sainz locked into long-term deals with the Italian team, it has become obvious there is no race seat on the horizon for Schumacher.
Not every team in F1 has a junior programme in place, due to money etc. Other teams piggy back of others e.g Haas obviously has Mick Schumacher as a driver but he is from the FDA.
Williams-
Jamie Chadwick has been apart of the Williams academy since 2019 and she has won two titles both being the W series, in 2019 and 2021. The 23 year old has also won the MRF Challenge in 2018-2019 as well as British GT Championship in 2015. It is unknown what she will be doing this year.
Next we have Roy Nissany, who is going into his fourth Formula 2 season with DAMS. The Israeli-French driver has been Williams offical test driver for the 2020 and 2021 season, where he also has took part in FP1 sessions and the post-season test with the British team.
Jack Aitken, is another Williams academy driver, he has been with the team since 2020. Before this he was actually with the Renault young driver program until 2019 he was also their reserve driver. Aitken made his debut for the British team at the Sakhir Grand Prix where he stood in George Russell as Russell stood in for Lewis Hamilton due to COVID.
Next up is Logan Sargeant. This year he will be moving up to Formula 2 for his first full season, he joined F2 last year for a weekend with HWA Racelab. In 2020 the American finished 3rd in the Formula 3 Championship.
Last but most definitely not least is newbie, Zak O’Sullivan, the Brit is moving up to Formula 3 this year after winning the GB3 Championship and has just been awarded the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award for 2021.
Red Bull-
Juri Vips, has been apart of the Red Bull junior programme since 2018. In 2020 he joined Formula 2 to replace injured DAMS driver, Sean Gelael. In 2021 he then done his first full campaign with HiTech Grand Prix, he will be returning to Formula 2 this year with the same team for his second season. Also in 2020 he served as the Red Bull and Alpha Tauri reserve at the Turkish, Bahrain, Sakhir and Abu Dhabi GP’s. He has took part in two end of season young driver test both being with Red Bull in 2020 and 2021.
Jonny Edgar, is defintley a name to remeber and one I have mentioned before. His been with the junior team for quite some time and its understandable why his stayed their for so long. He won the ADAC Formula 4 Championship, and is about to go into his 2nd season of Formula 3 Championship.
Dennis Hauger, the popular Norwegian who has just won the Formula 3 Championship and now going on to battle the Formula 2 Championship with Prema. Since being with the junior team he has also won the Italian F4 Championship.
Liam Lawson, is going into his second season in Formula 2 after switching out HiTech for Carlin. The popular Kiwi never does things in half, last year he competed in DTM where he finished 2nd overall. In 2020 he competed in F3 where he finished 5th overall, as well as Toyota Racing Series where he finished 2nd.
Jehan Daruvala is reuniting with Prema this season to take on his 3rd season of Formula 2 last season saw him finish 7th overall with Carlin. He also competed in F3 Asian Championship with Mumbai Falcons India Racing, he finished 3rd overall, with 3 wins, 3 poles, and 8 podiums.
Jak Crawford, has been with the junior team since 2020 and in that year he competed in ADAC Formula 4 where he finished 2nd overall and Italian F4 finishing 6th. 2021 saw him compete in his rookie campaign in Formula 3 and Euroformula Open and in the latter he finished 3rd overall. This year he is competing in his second season in Formula 3 but has made the switch to Prema.
At the beginning of last year, Ayumu Iwasa was announced as a Red Bull junior. He competed in Formula 3 where he finished 12th overall as well as F3 Asian Championship where he finished 3rd. This year will see him step up to Formula 2 for his rookie season.
Next up, we have two newbies who have joined the programme this year, Isack Hadjar who will be competing in Formula 3 for his rookie campaign and Yuto Nomura who will be competing in French F4.
Ferrari-
Starting off with Callum Ilott, he technically isn’t with the Ferrari Driver Academy this year but had a 4 year stint with the Italian team from 2017 to 2021. Due to him being in IndyCar this year, the Academy does not support that series.
Robert Shwartzman at the moment is not competing in a series this year yet, after he finished runner up to Oscar Piastri in Formula 2 last year. He will be Scuderia Ferrari’s Test Driver for the upcoming season.
Mick Schumacher, won the Formula 2 Championship in 2020, and now is going into his second season as a Formula One driver with Haas.
Arthur Leclerc is next up on the list, the Monagasque is going into his second season in Formula 3, in hopes to fight for the title. He is also currently competing in the Formula Regional Asian Championship which he is currently leading.
Dino Beganovic, will be going on to his third season in single seaters, where he is currently competing in Formula Regional Asian Championship and also Formula Regional European Champion.
James Wharton, has only been with the FDA for a year, he continued to race in karts in 2021 before training in Formula 4 single-seaters. Which goes on to what he will be doing this year, he will be competing in Formula 4 UAE Championship and Italian F4 Championship.
Maya Weug, is the first female driver to join the FDA. In 2021 she stepped up to Italian F4 Championship, she will be competing in the same series again this year.
Oliver Bearman, is new to the FDA after winning both Italian F4 Championship and ADAC Formula 4 Championships in 2021. This year will see him step up to the Formula 3 Championship for his rookie season.
Rafael Camara is another newbie to the FDA, he will be competing in Formula 4 UAE Championship and Italian F4 Championship. Laura Camps Torras, is new to the Italian team as well, at the moment she has only raced in karts and will continue to do this year. However, she will take part in several tests at the wheel of a Formula 4 car to learn about single seaters in preparation for a debut.
Alpine-
Christian Lundgaard, has been apart of the Alpine academy since 2017. Since being with them he secured the SMP F4 Championship and F4 Spanish Championship. This year will see him race in IndyCar.
Caio Collet, was racing in Formula 3 last season. It is yet to be announced in what he will be doing this year he may return to F3 for a second season.
Oscar Piastri, the back to back to back champion, winning the Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3 Championship and Formula 2 Championship in a row. This year will see him take a back seat and officially be Alpine’s reserve driver for 2022.
Victor Martins, will be going into his fourth year with the academy. Last year saw him compete in Formula 3 where he finished 5th overall, it is still undecided what he is doing this year aswell.
Arthur Leclerc has took the 2nd out of 3 Prema seats for the 2022 season, making the Italian team to be the only team who have signed two drivers so far.
This will be his second season in Formula 3, but third season with the team as he first joined them in 2020 in the Formula Regional European Championship where he finished runner up with six wins, and 15 podiums.
With that in the bag, the Monégasque earned a promotion into F3, where in his rookie season he won twice, as well as pole position and P2 in Budapest. Overall he finished 10th in the standings.
Leclerc’s single seater journey began back in 2018 where he entered the French F4 where he finished 5th overall, the next year he finished second in the ADAC F4.
“I am extremely happy to continue the work we started with PREMA Racing in the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship,” said Leclerc. “I think we did a good job last year, and 2022 will be a good opportunity to put together everything we have learned so far. I cannot wait for the season to start.”
PREMA Team Principal Rene Rosin added: “It is great to continue our collaboration with Arthur. I am sure that he will carry on the progress we saw in 2021 when he showed he had the potential to be a frontrunner.
“Last year’s experience with the challenging three-race weekends will definitely help him navigate the events with a great focus, which will surely benefit the whole team.“
My Opinion-
I didn’t think he would move up to Formula 2 this year, based on last years result, but its a good signing for himself and Prema. Hopefully we will see him be more consistent this year like in other series’ and then he can make that step up to F2 soon.
It has been announced that Oliver Bearman will be racing in Formula 3 for PREMA Racing, who he joined for the successful post-season test in Valencia.
The 16 year old Brit became the first driver to win both Italian and ADAC Formula 4 Championships in the same season, which saw him earn a spot in the Ferrari Driver Academy.
2021 was Bearmans second year of single seaters, he grabbed 15 podiums, 11 wins and eight poles in Italian F4 as well as 11 podiums, six wins and five poles in ADAC F4.
“I’m really looking forward to stepping up to FIA F3 with PREMA, as my first official year being part of the Ferrari Driver Academy,” said Bearman. “We worked really well together in the post-season test at Valencia, and their results in previous years across everything which they do, speaks for itself. I can’t wait to get started in Bahrain!”
PREMA Team Principal Rene Rosin added: “We are looking forward to working with Oliver in 2022. The results he achieved this year speak for themselves, and we have obviously been observing him as rivals. The step for him will be huge and particularly challenging, with a lot to learn, but we will do everything we can to help him maximize his potential and be competitive right from the start. It will be extremely interesting to see the season develop, and what we will be able to accomplish together.”
My Opinion-
I think this is great! Ollie is a very talented driver especially at 16 years old, and because of his achievements so far he deserves to get this seat in F3. It will be interesting to see how he does next year he is most definitely one to watch!
Looking a little further down than F1, but to do with Ferrari’s Driver Academy, they have announced two new signings to join the successful academy.
First one being Oliver Bearman and second Rafael Camara, who were chosen at the end of the FDA Scouting World Finals. The standard was very high this year, which is known for Ferrari as they want to find the most promising up and coming young drivers.
Ollie has had a brilliant year, competing in both Italian Formula 4 and the German Formula 4 he walked away from both of them winning the titles at the age of 16. Italian F4 saw him with eleven wins, five pole positions and two fastest laps. With the German F4 saw him get six wins, five podiums, five pole positions and three fastest laps. He is the second British driver to join FDA after Callum Ilott.
Rafael is currently racing in karts. He is definitely making an impact this year as he won the WSK Champion Cup and the WSK Super Master Cup. He won a European Championship race as well as a Champions of the future race. All getting him to this point now, he is the third Brazilian to join FDA.
They both are joining a successful academy, FDA have seen the likes of Charles Leclerc, Jules Bianchi, Mick Schumacher, Callum Ilott through. As well as currently FDA drivers, Arthur Leclerc, Robert Shwartzman, Maya Weug, Dino Beganovic.
Ollie Bearman says: “I am really happy to have been selected to join the Ferrari Driver Academy. It is a great way to end what has been a really good racing season for me. Just spending a week in Maranello was in itself an amazing experience, especially getting to drive at the Fiorano track. Now, I can’t wait to start working at the Academy and to be part of the Ferrari family and to see what the future holds for me.”
Rafael Chaves Camara says: “I am very happy to have been chosen by the Ferrari Driver Academy. It is a unique opportunity for me and I will do my best to repay the faith shown in me. It is a dream to be part of this big Ferrari family and I just have to thank everyone who has always supported me, especially my parents who are always by my side.”
My Opinion-
I think this is great, i’ve heard a lot about Ollie this year and I kept up on what he was doing while testing Formula 3 last week and I would definitely say he is one to watch out in the future. Just take a look at what his doing at just 16 years old, it makes you think what could he be doing in 5 years? F1 maybe? You may want to remember the name Ollie Bearman for the future.
I haven’t heard much about Rafael until he got announced for FDA but I think now people will be wanting to keep an eye on what he does in the future myself included. To be scouted so young into your career obviously shows you have a tremendous amount of talent.
Jordan's Track Talk 