Trident have confirmed that Leonardo Fornaroli will be sticking with the team for his second FIA Formula 3 season in 2024.
The Italian driver finished the 2023 season 11th in the Drivers’ Championship where he took one pole position and three podiums in his rookie year.
When Fornaroli arrived in F3 he had plenty of seasons-worth of single-seater experience under his belt. He achieved a top 10 finish in each of his first three years in car racing, ending ninth in Italian F4 in 2020 before following that up with P5 in 2021 before finishing the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine eighth in 2022.
Ahead of his 2024 campaign with Trident, Fornaroli said he was very excited to be continuing his F3 career with the team.
I am obviously very excited to be staying with Trident Motorsport for another season. This team became like a family for me where I could find the highest culture of motorsport. This is a great slot for me because Trident Motorsport has shown many times that it is one of the best places for a young driver to be in FIA Formula 3, and I intend to make the most of this opportunity while doing the best possible job for the team.
Fornaroli on the news.
We are delighted to confirm Leonardo Fornaroli in our FIA Formula 3 Championship lineup. For the Piacenza-born driver, it will be the third season with us and the confirmation of a positive collaboration that will have increasingly ambitious goals. In the past season, Fornaroli has been one of the best rookies of the series. He delivered a solid performance and consistent growth. The goal for him will be to raise the level and compete at the top of the series.
Trident has confirmed that Paul Aron will race with the team at the final round of the 2023 season at Yas Marina.
The Estonian is fresh from completing his rookie season with PREMA Racing in FIA Formula 3, where he claimed one race win and a further three podiums en route to third in the Drivers’ Championship.
Prior to his F3 campaign, Aron competed in the Italian F4 Championship in what was his maiden campaign of single seater racing. He took two wins and a pole position, finishing that year third in the Drivers’ Standings.
He followed that up with a campaign of Formula Renault Eurocup before he moved on to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, where he took two wins and seven podium finishes on the way to third in the Championship.
He then had a follow up season of FRECA where he claimed six race victories, seven pole positions and eight podiums as he finished third in the 2022 season, before moving on to FIA F3 in 2023.
I’m very excited to be on the Formula 2 grid at the end of this year and I’m very grateful to Trident for giving me this opportunity. It will be a big step in my career, Formula 2 is the highest level of junior single seater racing. I think getting early experience will be key, it will not be an easy weekend as I’ve never been in a Formula 2 car, and we only have one very short Practice session before getting into the car for Qualifying. I’m very excited for the challenge and I’m sure that Trident will help me do the best job possible.
Aron on the news.
It’s with great pleasure that we announce that Paul Aron will make his debut under the Trident Motorsport banner in the FIA Formula 2 Championship next weekend in Abu Dhabi. The team will make its best effort to help him gain confidence in the new category, as this will certainly be an important step for his career. We can’t wait to start working with Paul, who will replace Clément Novalak. As he has long been part of the Trident Motorsport family, we wish the Frenchman the best for his future endeavours.
Oliver Goethe was straight back into action at Monza, going fastest of all in Free Practice with a 1:38.677. The Trident driver secured his lap just moments before a second session ending Red Flag, finishing just over a tenth clear of PREMA’s Paul Aron and Gabriele Mini for Hitech.
Rodin Carlin set the early benchmark with Oliver Gray putting in a 1:41.612 on his initial effort around the Temple of Speed.
As the 30 minute mark approached, the track got busier as queues of cars formed, all eager to get that all important slipstream. Home hero, Leonardo Fornaroli took charge, dipping into the 1:39s before Jenzer’s Taylor Barnard went over two tenths clear of the Trident.
The first Red Flag was brought out by Nikita Bedrin as the second Jenzer stopped on track. The clock continued to tick down and running resumed with 16 minutes left.
Gregoire Saucy took ART up into the top spot on the restart, clocking in a 1:39.276 to go eight thousandths faster than Fornaroli. Piecing together a perfect lap was far from easy.
Mini then broke into the 1:38s but the Hitech driver was immediately beaten by Goethe and Aron. The flurry proved to be the final attempts of the morning, as MP Motorsport’s Mari Boya spun off into the barriers at Turn 11 inside the final six minutes.
Qualifying-
Oliver Goethe secured his first pole position of the season at Monza for Trident confirming teammate Gabriel Bortoleto as the 2023 Formula 3 Drivers’ Champion in the process.
Running in the gap as one of two drivers on track after the second of three red flag appearances, the German driver posted a 1:38.909 to go less than a tenth clear of Van Amersfooort Racing’s Caio Collet and Paul Aron in third.
It was all about the waiting game in the early phase of running as everyone tried to avoid being the first to jump. Aron led a train of cars out on track at the green light but the field swiftly filtered back into the pits following installation laps.
Queues immediately formed around the track at the 23 minute mark. Situated right in the middle of a train of cars out of the Lesmo chicane, Ido Cohen was sent spinning after Rodin Carlin teammate Oliver Gray hit the rear of the car bringing out the first Red Flag.
Once running resumed, there was no time to waste. Hungry to keep his title hopes alive, Aron went fastest of all with a 1:39.043. The PREMA driver’s effort didn’t stay top for long, as Collet leapfrogged him into provisional pole but there was little to separate the top three with 0.054s covering Collet, Aron and Goethe.
The session was Red Flagged again seconds later, after a spin for Joshua Dufek left the Campos Racing driver stuck in the gravel trap at Variante della Roggia.
When the session resumed with 15 minutes left, Goethe and Bortoleto were the only two cars to gamble on a run without the benefit of a slipstream. It served well as Goethe managed to improve on his earlier effort to go top.
Opting for another attempt, the Trident driver went off into the barriers at Turn 7 with a third and final red flag deployed, nobody got an opportunity to improve as the session was not resumed. As Championship contenders, Aron and Josep Maria Marti were unable to secure the two points awarded for pole, Bortoleto’s job was done to claim the title.
Oliver Bearman returned from the summer break and hit the ground running at Zandvoort, topping Free Practice for PREMA Racing with a 1:22.715. The Brit ended up 0.396s clear of MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger in second, and his teammate Frederik Vesti in third, just 0.073s further back.
Looking to get some dry laps under his belt after a wet Spa-Francorchamps debut, PHM Racing by Charouz’s Joshua Mason got some laps in early.
The track continued to rubber in quickly, with Jak Crawford going half a second clear in P1 on his next lap. His Hitech Pluse-Eight teammate Isack Hadjar displaced him before Bearman, Ayumu Iwasa and then Martins took over.
Vesti was next to set the quickest time, going one tenth clear with 20 minutes to go until Hauger put home team MP Motorsport on top with a 1:23.111. Martins had another minor off after running deep at Turn 11 but carried on without issue.
Qualifying-
Jak Crawford proved to the other drivers, how you start the session matters as much as how you finish, as the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver secured his maiden Formula 2 pole position.
As the American driver laid down a 1:21.210 on his second attempt of the Circuit, as three red flags denied the field a chance to improve.
Dennis Hauger looked to have the pace but couldn’t complete his final two runs and was forced to settle for second by just 0.034s. Frederik Vesti bounced back after his disappointing weekend in Spa before the summer break by securing third.
After the field pitted for their second sets of softs, disaster stuck for provisional pole sitter Crawford, the Hitech driver was forced to pit as he had a damaged front wing after contact with Novalak.
Jehan Daruvala brought running to a halt with seven minutes remaining, spinning off on the exit of Turn 3 to trigger the Red Flag.
After another red flag, it was a one lap shootout with less than four minutes left and Hauger continued to improved, but nobody could record a final time, as Novalak brought a red flag where he hit the barriers at Turn 3.
Day 2, Sprint Race-
Drama already began to unfold before lights out, as the expected rain fell on the Circuit Zandvoort. Championship leader, Pourchaire wasn’t able to take the start from reverse grid pole after a mechanical issue, forced the ART driver to being from the pit lane.
Hadjar left it late on the rolling start, bolting off down the main straight to fend off Martin’s advances. Bearman pounced on Juan Manuel Correa, sliding past the Van Amersfoort Racing driver sliding past at Turn 1 for third.
At the end of the top 10, contact between Kush Maini and Jake Crawford sent both cars spinning off at Turn 5, with Ralph Boschung unable to avoid colliding with his Campos Racing teammate. The Safety Car was deployed before being switch out for a Red Flag on Lap 3, as all three drivers clambered out of their cars.
Following the lengthy break due to barrier repairs, the race was expected to resume with 22 minutes left on the clock, but the heavy downpours returned as Hadjar led the field back out behind the Safety Car.
Given the torrential conditions, the Red Flag was waved for a second time, and it was swiftly confirmed that the race will not be restarted.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Martins, P3: Bearman, P4: Correa, P5: Maloney, P6: Doohan, P7: Vesti, P8: Novalak, P9: Hauger and P10: Daruvala. However, no points were awarded due to the lack of racing and not going past the halfway mark.
Day 3, Feature Race-
Racing got underway with a rolling start in slipper conditions and Crawford got a perfect launch to retain the lead. Behind him, Championship contender Vesti suffered a spin at Turn 1 to fall from third to 19th position, while PREMA Racing teammate Oliver Bearman was tagged by Juan Manuel Correa and ran wide into the gravel at Turn 1.
Victor Martins followed him off the track and both resumed in 14th and 15th respectively. Jack Doohan was another driver to hit trouble early, spinning in the last corner to bring out a Safety Car before the completion of Lap 1.
Maloney was the first of the leading pack to make their mandatory pitstop from fourth position, switching from softs to mediums on lap 8. That pulled in leader Crawford, Dennis Hauger from P2 and Correa in third on the following lap.
Championship leader, Pourchaire spun off the circuit whilst on his outlap after pitting, which caused him to crash out of the race at Turn 7. It then brought out the Safety Car but not before PREMA double-stacked their drivers. Vesti’s hope of retaking the lead of the Championship were dashed almost immediately though, losing both rear tyres on his outlap and he was too out of the running.
After all the drama, Novalak led the pack having stopped just prior to the Safety Car intervention. Crawford followed ahead of Maloney, Verschoor, Martins, Bearman, Hauger, Fittipaldi and Cordeel in the top 10.
Maloney had the momentum into Turn 1 and passed Crawford around the outside to take second. Behind them, Bearman looked to have a move done on Martins for fifth but the pair made contact on the exit of Turn 3, sending the PREMA driver into the barriers.
With the Safety Car interventions, the race ran to time rather than the original 40 scheduled laps. With under 10 minutes to go, Maloney began to hunt down Novalak, closing to within two seconds and bringing Crawford in third along with him.
The full top 10 are- P1: Novalak, P2: Maloney, P3: Crawford, P4: Verschoor, P5: Hauger, P6: Hadjar, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Cordeel, P9: Martins and P10: Correa.
As rain began to fall before lights out, all bar Gregoire Saucy started on slicks. Pole sitter Sebastian Montoya kept the lead from pole, while Taylor Barnard surged up to second as he passed Jonny Edgar around the outside of Turn 1.
Colapinto then passed both in one move, diving down the inside at Village to go from fourth to second. A scruffy run through Maggotts and Becketts allowed Barnard to slot back into second.
With DRS enabled, Bortoleto was able to put pressure on Mini ahead in fifth position, the Brazilian driver was through on the Hitech driver as he forced a lock-up from the Italian driver into the Vale Chicane.
The heavy rain arrived on lap 8 and the Safety Car was deployed with all the drivers running slick tyres. Dino Beganovic took the opportunity to pit for wet tyres whilst the rest of the grid remained on track.
With positions one to 10 still on dry tyres and those behind on wets, the Safety Car was withdrawn entering lap 13, with Barnard right on the rear wing of Montoya, the pair made contact at Turn 1.
After his spin, Montoya was back into the points and eighth, as he passed both of the PREMAs down the Hangar Straight with three laps to go.
The full top 10 are- P1: Colapinto, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Mansell, P4: Collet, P5: Mini, P6: Barter, P7: Fornaroli, P8: Montoya, P9: Cohen and P10: Marti.
Day 3-
Fornaroli covered off his teammate to retain the lead into Turn 1 while Gabriel Bortoleto made immediate progress up to fourth position, going around the outside of Mansell into Turn 3.
Further ahead, Marti cleared Goethe to take second position, albeit briefly. The Trident driver was able to retake the place with a great pass around the outside of Stowe later on.
Luke Browning made contact with Hugh Barter out of the final corner, leaving the Hitech driver with a broken suspension. It resulted in his retirement from the race and brought out the Safety Car. Edgar was also out of his home event on lap 1 after contact with Collet on the opening lap.
On lap 17, rain began to fall and Robert Faria went off into the barriers at Woodcote. He was out of the car ok and the Safety Car came back out. As the rain intensified, Tommy Smith was the only taker for wet tyres with three laps remaining, rejoining in 28th position.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Collet was able to make great progress despite running the slick hard tyres, taking multiple positions on the penultimate lap to rise up to the points positions. Teammate Smith was able to take full advantage of conditions on the wets, going from 28th to 12th in the space of a lap and a half.
The full top 10 are- P1: Goethe, P2: Fornaroli, P3: Marti, P4: Aron, P5: Mansell, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Mini, P8: Colapinto, P9: Saucy and P10: Montoya.
Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning started his and his team’s home event in fine form, setting a 1:45.794 to lead the way in Free Practice.
With the Championship leader, Gabriel Bortoleto following closely in second position and Dino Beganovic in third making him the highest-placed PREMA driver.
Sebastian Montoya got the weekend rolling with a 1:48.957 and the initial time to beat. Leonardo Fornaroli and then Franco Colapinto quickly beating that.
There was contact between Kaylen Frederick and Zak O’Sullivan at Turn 16 as traffic began to build up and drivers searched for clean air. The Briton was able to continue in the session, but the ART Grand Prix driver was out after sustaining suspension damage and recovering to the pitlane.
Browning continued to lap quickly, lowering his best time to a 1:45.946 before a Virtual Safety Car was deployed to recover debris left by the earlier contact.
Back to green flag conditions with 12 minutes left, and there were very few improvements as Bortoleto moved himself up to second on a 1:46.075s.
Qualifying-
Leonardo Fornaroli headed up a Trident 1-2 around Silverstone, taking his maiden Formula 3 pole position with a 1:45.520.
Fornaroli’s teammate, Oliver Goethe followed in second after making a late improvement, whilst Josep Maria Marti led the Campos Racing effort in third.
Gabriele Mini set the early pace with a 1:46.619 which was swiftly beaten by teammate Luke Browning. The Tridents of Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Goethe crossed the line to split the two Hitech drivers, with the top three covered by just 0.120s.
The track filled up once more after a swap to fresh tyres with less than 10 minutes remaining of Qualifying.
Mini, Browning and Aron each improved on their next efforts but only the Estonian driver got to within a quarter of a second of Fornaroli’s provisional pole time.
The full top 10 are- P1: Fornaroli, P2: Goethe, P3: Marti, P4: Mansell, P5: Bortoleto, P6: Aron, P7: Mini, P8: Browning, P9: Colapinto and P10: Barnard.
Franco Colapinto was victorious in an event-filled Sprint Race, winning from P6 on the grid. The MP Motorsport driver put an impressive move on pole-sitter Sebastian Montoya at Turn 9 to take the lead early on.
Zak O’Sullivan made a late-race pass on reverse pole-sitter Montoya to take second. The Hitech Pulse-Eight driver held on for a podium in third as the race ended under the Safety Car.
But after the race was complete, Franco Colapinto lost the Melbourne Sprint Race victory following a post-race inspection found a technical infringement on his car.
Pieces of bodywork were found to be outside of the regulatory limits, contravening Articles 1.2 and 2.5 of the Technical Regulations. Modifications to the geometry of the parts in question are prohibited by the rules outside of basic repairs.
MP Motorsport drivers, Mari Boya and Jonny Edgar have also been disqualified from the race for the same technical infringement as was found on Colapinto’s car.
It means that PREMA Racing’s Zak O’Sullivan inherits the victory, promoting Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Sebastian Montoya to 2nd and Paul Aron to 3rd.
The full top 10 after the disqualifications are: P1: Sullivan, P2: Montoya, P3: Aron, P4: Mini, P5: Beganovic, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Fornaroli, P8: Saucy, P9: Mansell and P10: Frederick.
Day 3-
Gabriel Bortoleto made it two Feature Race wins in Formula 3 out of two, keeping Gregoire Saucy at bay for his second victory of the year. The Trident driver led every lap from pole position, leading through two safety car restarts in what was a measured performance.
Saucy was on the podium for ART Grand Prix for the first time this season in second, finishing just 0.5s down on the winner. Gabriele Mini was third for HiTech Pulse-Eight.
On Lap 2, Franco Colapinto claimed seventh from Luke Browning on the run to Turn 3 but his joy was short-lived. The MP Motorsport driver made brief contact with the Brit completing the move and sustained a puncture, which sent him into the barriers at Turn 5 and out of the race.
Josep Maria Marti was on a charge, he went from 30th to 21st on the first lap alone and he was battling Campos Racing teammate Mansell for 12th.
Contact between Ido Cohen and Rafael Villagomez out of Turn 4 the following lap spun the Rodin Carlin man into the barriers, bringing out the Safety Car once more. The Van Amersfoort Racing man was handed a 10 second time penalty for the incident.
Once we went back to racing conditions on Lap 16 and Marti was on the move again clearing Goethe into Turn 4 to take 11th position, that then became 10th on Lap 18 after he put a brave move on Jonny Edgar going around the outside at Turn 9.
The full top 10 are: P1: Bortoleto, P2: Saucy, P3: Mini, P4: Fornaroli, P5: Sullivan, P6: Aron, P7: Marti, P8: Browning, P9: Barnard and P10: Mansell.
Formula 3 is not back now until the 19th to 21st May for Round 3 in Imola. However they do have in-season testing on the 13-14th April in Barcelona.
Formula 3, is in Australia for the very first time. Let’s take a look at how Day 1 went.
Free Practice-
Zak O’Sullivn hit the ground running in Melbourne, topping the opening session of the weekend for PREMA Racing, the Brit set a 1:33,470 at the end of the session.
MP Motorsport’s Mari Boya, leapt up the timing sheets late on with a 1:33.528 putting him second ahead of Gregoire Saucy, who bounced back from an off-track moment.
Saucy had an off-road excursion at Turn 4, running through the gravel on corner exit before rejoining in his ART Grand Prix car. The red flag was out with just over half an hour remaining following a crash for Jonny Edgar.
Practice resumed with 20 minutes of the session to go. A brief yellow flag for Campos Racing’s Hugh Barter was thrown at the final corner after he ended up sideways.
Qualifying-
Gabriel Bortoleto left it as late as possible to take pole for the FIA Formula 3 Feature Race. The Trident driver had been on provisional pole until several late efforts demoted him, but the Brazilian rebounded to seal P1 on his final attempt.
Gregoire Saucy ended up second for ART Grand Prix, while Gabriele Mini had to settle for third in his HiTech Pulse-Eight car.
With all 30 cars out of the pitlane, it was a busy Albert Park Circuit but only temporarily. A shunt for Josep Maria Marti brought out the red flags with six minutes gone.
The second red flag of the session came with four and a half minutes to go. ART Grand Prix’s Kaylen Frederick hit the wall out of the corner, but the American was okay afterwards. Back to green and with time for one final attempt, everyone was immediately back out for one final attempt.
Josep Maria Marti bided his time well to make a move stick on reverse pole sitter, Franco Colapinto as he took home glory in the first sprint race of the season, claiming his maiden victory in the Championship.
A frenetic opening race to the year as the Campos Racing driver kept close to the Argentian early on, as the field navigated two Safety car restarts.
After battling with Marti over second during the opening stages, Caio Collet kept himself out of trouble in the rest of the race to take home P3.
The first safety car was due to Rafael Villagomez battling Gabriel Bortoleto, as they made contact pitching the Van Amersfoort car into the wall.
The time behind the Safety Car meant that tyre degradation was less of a concern. PREMA’s Aron and Dino Beganovic continued to chop and change in the battle for fourth.
Day 3-
Gabriel Bortoleto brought home his first Formula 3 victory on his debut weekend in the Championship, meanwhile a time penalty and late Safety Car appearance relegated pole-sitter Gabriele Mini to eighth.
Starting second on the grid, Bortoleto assumed the lead early on, before fellow rookie Mini dispatched for him for the lead on Lap 10.
Keeping within touching distance of the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver, the Trident was in a prime position to benefit when the Safety Car bunched the field back together and was promoted to the win.
Oliver Goethe ensured a strong haul of points for Trident, taking his maiden podium in second, whilst Dino Beganovic showed what he was made off getting his elbows out to slice his way through to third.
The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 7 following contact at the hairpin between MP’s Mari Boya and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Tommy Smith. The Australian resumed but Boya was forced to pull off track and retire.
Trident have confirmed that Roman Stanek will be graduating to Formula 2, where he will team up with Clement Novalak to complete the team’s line-up for 2023.
He joined the team having raced for Trident in FIA Formula 3 last season, where he finished fifth in the Drivers’ Championship.
The 18 year old graduated from karting to single seater in 2019, where he won twice in German F4 and once in Italian F4 and finishing fourth and fifth in both Championships respectively.
From there, Stanek graduated to Formula 3 for 2020 and has made improvements across his three seasons in the championship, culminating in his top five finish last year.
Stanek subsequently took part in the post-season test with Trident at Yas Marina following the end of the 2022 F2 season, logging a total of 246 laps across the three days.
We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Roman Staněk and partner with him for his move to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, which is always a key step for a driver’s career. I think that moving up within the same organization is an important added value in terms of continuity. He knows the team very well, and we will be able to support him in the best possible way. Staněk had a remarkable 2022 season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Trident Motorsport, and I think there are all the components that are needed to perform at a high level this year as well.
Trident Team Manager, Giacomo Ricci.
I’m very thrilled to be working with Trident again this year. I’m already at work with the team and Giacomo, who is a great mentor to me, to achieve our goals together. This is going to be a year full of challenges and I’m ready for it.
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.
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.
Trident have confirmed that Clement Novalak will be driving for the team next season in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
The Frenchman will reunite with the outfit he last drove with in 2021 on his way to third place in FIA Formula 3, where he claimed four podiums and 147 points.
Novalak finished 14th in the F2 Driver’s Championship this season, taking 40 points and a season-best result of P2 in the Zandvoort Sprint Race. He and teammate, Felipe Drugovich helped MP Motorsport claim their first Teams’ Championship title in the process.
Team Principal, Giacomo Ricci said that Novalak’s return to the team would bring useful experience from his year with Champions MP Motorsport.
We are proud to welcome Clément Novalak back to our family. He is a driver with undeniable and undisputed value who did really well with Trident Motorsport in Formula 3 and achieving the third position in 2021 Championship. Novalak brings a year of experience with him in Formula 2 and I’m sure he will be able to make an important contribution to the team.
Giacomo Ricci.
I’m extremely happy to be heading back to Trident. We had an amazing partnership together in 2021 and I’m very proud to be wearing their colours again. I’d like to thank Mr. Salvadori for the trust and I’m hoping we can have an amazing 2023 full of success.
Trident have confirmed that Zane Maloney will be making his Formula 2 debut with the team at Yas Marina in the 2022 season finale.
Maloney finished as runner-up in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Trident after putting together a stellar rookie campaign, taking three consecutive Feature Race wins to end the season on a high. As well as ending the year just five points behind eventual Champion Victor Martins.
Trident team boss, Giacomo Ricci said that his strong results in F3 weren’t the only factor that impressed the team, adding that his adaptability and work ethic would put him in a good position to take on the challenge of Formula 2.
Maloney will be joining, Richard Verschoor at the Italian team, driving the #21 car previously raced in by Calan Williams.
We are very proud to be able to compete with Zane Maloney in the final event in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Zane, the Barbadian driver, terminated the Formula 3 Championship with three consecutive feature race victories and has proven to be second to no one in terms of competitiveness, almost winning the driver’s title. We are therefore pleased to have Zane on board, once again this year, and we are confident that Trident will be able to provide him with the maximum support and dedication for the challenging Yas Marina Circuit.
Giacomo Ricci.
I’m really looking forward to Abu Dhabi. It’s an opportunity to learn a lot before the end of the season and prepare me for what my future holds. Trident and I had a great year, so to do another race with them and Giacomo is a pleasure. Really looking forward to next weekend and it’s an amazing opportunity to keep improving myself on track.
Trident has confirmed Gabriel Bortoleto as their first recruit for the 2023 FIA Formula 3 campaign, with the rookie joining off the back of a successful post-season test with the team in Jerez and is the first driver to be announced for next season.
Currently competing in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, the 17 year old has one win, three podiums to his tally across the first eight rounds. Earlier this year he also took home a victory in Formula Regional Asian Championship at Yas Marina.
Prior to stepping up to FRECA, Bortoleto finished fifth in Italian F4, claiming one win, five podiums and two pole positions along the way.
Topping the time sheets on Day 2 of post-season test for the Italian team, Bortoleto also recorded the fastest overall time from the three-day event around the Spanish circuit.
I am extremely delighted for the chance to compete in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship with a high-level team like Trident Motorsport. I would like to thank every member of the team for the warm welcome I have been given. I feel ready for a new chapter in my career and to move to a higher series in single-seaters. I will put my best effort to make the most of this great opportunity.
Bortoleto on his move.
We are proud to welcome a promising driver like Gabriel Bortoleto to our line-up. He needs no introduction as he has been extremely competitive since his karting days and is now collecting impressive results in the FRECA championship as well. We are sure that by joining the Trident Motorsport family, Gabriel will receive solid support from every team member and prove his value and qualities.
Maloney had a great launch off the line and got alongside Alexander Smolyar into Turn 1 to take the lead on the inside. Martins managed to clear Stanek into the first corner after making use of the tow.
A safety car was deployed on the opening lap after contact between Villagomez and Vidales at the second Lesmo with both ending up in the gravel and out of the race. The green flags were back out entering Lap 4 and race leader Maloney went halfway down the back straight.
The PREMA Racing drivers weren’t taking things easy against one another. Leclerc managed to re-pass Bearman on the first lap back to racing, using the exact move the Briton pulled on him at the start.
Isack Hadjar wasn’t having a good feature race and found himself well out of contention. He was relegated to 14th by Reece Ushijima on Lap 11 into Turn 1.
The Safety Car was back out on Lap 16 after Kush Miami and Brad Benavides crashed out of the second Lesmo. The debris and barrier repair required the red flag, with five laps of the 2022 season to go. As things stood at the red flag, Martins held the lead of the Championship with Maloney 2nd and Bearman third. As the drivers sat in the pitlane it was confirmed that the race would not restart whilst Martins was simultaneously handed a five second time penalty for exceeding track limits.
The classification was taken from count back which meant with Martins’ time penalty applied and a further penalty for track limits violation for Alatalo taken into account, the Frenchman finished P4, the 12 points for fourth ensured he had enough to seal the Driver’s Championship.
The full top 10 are- P1: Maloney, P2: Bearman, P3: Crawford, P4: Martins, P5: Leclerc, P6: Stanek, P7: Alatalo, P8: Edgar, P9: Hadjar and P10: Ushijima.
The Championship-
With the feature race results, Victor Martins takes the 2022 Formula 3 Drivers’ Championship on 139 points. Zane Maloeny and Oliver Bearman rounded out the top 3 in the standings on 134 and 132 points.
PREMA Racing secured the Teams’ Championship ahead of Trident in P2, and ART Grand Prix keeps third.
A massive congratulations to Victor! A well deserved Championship for the Frenchman, hopefully we get to see him graduate to Formula 2 next year! But overall, a massive congratulations to all the title contenders, amazing season by them all!
Dominating the front row were two black and white ART Grand Prix cars, as Correa lined up on reverse grid pole ahead of teammate Saucy, whilst O’Sullivan and Collet lay in the second row.
In his Formula 3 race, Sebastian Montoya found himself sitting in P6 meanwhile title protagonists could be found up and down the field, with Hadjar in seventh ahead of Stanek and Crawford in ninth and tenth. The third ART of Martins lined up P11, whilst PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman and Arthur Leclerc started in P13 and P20.
Collet, was ready for his opportunity to pounce on Lap 4 and take the race lead from Correa. Attempting to make the move stick around the outside of Turn 1, the Brazilian dipped his wheels across the kerbs into Turn 3.
Things began to settle down towards the mid point of the race as the medium Pirelli compounds began to fade, leaving those who managed the yellow-walled tyres the best with the upper hand towards the latter end of the 21 lap sprint race.
Approaching the final seven laps, Bearman’s defence came un-done with a wobble into Turn 4. The Ferrari Academy driver went over the kerbs and across the grass , dropping him behind Stanek.
The full top 10 are- P1: Collet, P2: Correa, P3: O’Sullivan, P4: Edgar, P5: Saucy, P6: Hadjar, P7: Martins, P8: Montoya, P9: Crawford and P10: Stanek.
Day 3-
Martins would have been rubbing his hands with glee as the ART GP driver nailed his getaway off the line, immediately going side-by-side with Maloney up the inside of Turn 1. The Trident driver attempted to cover him off but went wide soaring over the kerbs.
Futher back, Bearmans day went from bad to worse. A poor start saw the Ferrari Academy driver junior loosing three places at lights out, allowing Leclerc to close in on his teammate.
With the battles showing no sign of settling down, it wasn’t long until the Safety Car made its first appearance of the weekend Lap 4. Brad Benavides was caught out by William Alatalo’s braking point into Turn 2 and sending both into the gravel and then retire.
There was no doubt Martins was beginning to struggle. A rough looking left front tyre left him vulnerable to Colapinto behind but the Van Amersfoort driver couldn’t get past him.
The full top 10 are- P1: Maloney, P2: Martins, P3: Colapinto, P4: Stanek, P5: Hadjar, P6: Crawford, P7: Collet, P8: Montoya, P9: Edgar and P10: Bearman.
We now only have one round remaining next weekend, and we are in Monza, will we be finding out who is going to be our Formula 3 2022 Champion!
Victor Martins’ effort to reignite his fight for the title after a difficult weekend last time out in Spa, were given a boost after the ART Grand Prix driver led the way during the opening session in Zandvoort.
Laying down a benchmark of 1:25.688 ahead of the all-important qualifying, he went nearly four-tenths clear of the MP Motorsport duo, Caio Collet and Alexander Smolyar.
It was a leisurely start to the session with only five drivers setting a time during the opening 12 minutes, as Francesco Pizzi set a 1:18.014 to go half a second clear of his teammate David Schumacher.
Brand Benavides didn’t have the ideal start to the weekend off the back of his maiden points finish in Spa-Francorchamps, going off into the gravel at Turn 9 to bring out the Virtual Safety Car.
Qualifying-
Zane Maloney exuded confidence as he claimed his second pole position of his rook rookie season, whilst Victor Martins reignited his title hopes by securing a spot on the Feature Race front row.
After two virtual safety car appearances in practice, it was no surprise that a queue of cars formed along the pit lane as the lights went green, with the whole field eargely heading out early and try to get a banker lap in.
As the clock started to tick down to 16 minutes, it seemed the perfect time for Caio Collet and the rest of the field to head back out on track. But off the back of his maiden victory last time out in Spa, Maloney set about claiming his spot on the front row for the third consecutive race.
Lining up on reverse grid pole, Juan Manuel Correa will be hungry for his first podium finish of the 2022 season in Sprint Race. He’ll have familiar company on the front row in the form of ART teammate, Gregoire Saucy.
The full top 10 are- P1: Maloney, P2: Martins, P3: Crawford, P4: Stanek, P5: Colapinto, P6: Hadjar, P7: Montoya, P8: Edgar, P9: Collet and P10: O’Sullivan.
Zak O’Sullivan retained the lead from pole into La Source with teammate Benavides attempting to wrestle second from Juan Manuel Correa. With the two on the Kemmel Straight, the ART driver turned defence into attack, taking the lead but only momentarily.
Title rival, Victor Martins meanwhile had made his way up to 16th by the time the Safety Car was deployed but had jumped the start, he was handed a drive-through penalty as a result.
A wide moment, from Oliver Goethe heading into Stavelot left the Campos driver under pressure from the Trident duo of Roman Stanek and Zane Maloney. Stanek was able to clear the Monegasque driver for fifth but contact on the exit of Blanchimont between Goethe and Maloney resulted in a big crash for the pair, but thankfully both drivers were able to walk away from their cars.
Leclerc’s charge continued at the expense of Benavides, another DRS pass down the Kemmel Straight moved him up to fifth position and within range of Edgar as a result of the latter’s pending time penalty.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bearman, P2: Stanek, P3: Smolyar, P4: Edgar, P5: Leclerc, P6: Alatalo, P7: Vidales, P8: Benavides, P9: Hadjar and P10: Collet.
Day 3-
Having become the seventh different driver to take pole this season, Collet lined up on the front row along side Maloney whilst four of the top five in the Championship found themselves starting P20 or lower.
Maloney’s time out front didn’t last long as he was ordered to give the place back by his team. In the mean time, Goethe had gotten past Collet for P2, forcing the Trident to drop down to third behind the MP in order to return the position.
Disaster soon struck for title contender, Martins. The ART Grand Prix driver found himself collected in chaos ahead as Kush Maini overshot the corner sending him into the side of Pizzi, tagging Ido Cohen and Martins.
No sooner than the action resumed did the safety car return to the track after Gregoire Saucy and Josep Maria Marti touched wheels, resulting in the early retirement of a second ART car.
Having been handed a five second penalty for rejoining the track unsafely, Collet knew it was time to be strategic as he battled with Stanek for second.
As the penultimate lap began, it was Bearman’s time to strike as Goethe went too deep into Turn 1, the pair flew up side-by-side into Eau Rouge, but the Prema Racing driver cautiously decided to back out and go again one lap later.
The full top 10 are- P1: Maloney, P2: Stanek, P3: Bearman, P4: Goethe, P5: Edgar, P6: Collet, P7: Vidales, P8: Alatalo, P9: Smolyar and P10: Ushijima.
We don’t have long to wait till the next round, we are back next weekend and are in Zandvoort for Round 8, we only have two rounds left now…
Trident has confirmed that Jonny Edgar will be making his return to Formula 3 at Round 4 of the 2022 season after recovering from health issues, Edgar will be back driving for the team on home soil at Silverstone.
The Briton underwent a recovery process that has been successful and his progress means that he will be fit enough to race next week. Edgar last raced with the time at the first round in Sakhir but was forced to step away from racing to focus on his health.
His return means, that Oliver Rasmussen will depart but the Trident team thanked him for his work and wished him the best for the future and racing career.
Only missing out on a total of 4 races, Edgar already can’t wait to get stuck back into as well as thanking his medical team to return to the competitive championship.
I am extremely delighted to share this amazing news. I have no words to express how happy I am to welcome Jonny Edgar back and be able to follow him on track again. We are absolutely thrilled to know that the British racer, a Red Bull Junior driver, has finally overcome his health issues, winning a battle that will make him even stronger. Trident Motorsport will follow his return with its maximum commitment to help him recover the time he missed in two rounds he was forced to sit out from.
Giacomo Ricci, Trident team manager.
I am delighted to announce that I will be resuming my FIA F3 Championship campaign with Trident Motorsport next weekend at Silverstone. Following my Crohn’s diagnosis and period of illness, I have now improved sufficiently to make my return to racing.As well as my family and friends, I have so many people I would like to thank for making this possible, particularly Dr Helmut Marko and everyone at Red Bull, Trident Motorsport, Dr Phil Batty, Mr Mike Davison, Dr Ally Speight & his team at RVI Newcastle, Sam Village, Jeff Thorpe and The BRDC. Everyone has worked so hard to support me getting healthy again and their unwaivering support will always be appreciated.
As the five red lights went out, Colapinto made the perfect getaway from pole position, but behind him Ido Cohen went down from his front row spot to fifth, whilst Collet went from fourth to second. Collet remained glued to the rear of Colapinto and with the assistance of DRS along the pit straight he breezed past his opponent.
Collapinto’s pursuit of Collet was halted as a safety car was developed after O’Sullivan spun out of seventh and was joined moments later in the same gravel trap by Josep Maria Marti. Racing resumed on lap 10 but the green flags were only out for a couple of minutes as Reece Ushijima and Federico Malvestiti clashed exiting the first chicane necessitating the Safety Car once again.
There was a frantic two lap race to the flag and Colapinto seized the initiative to sweep past Collet along the pit straight. The Brazilian was left vulnerable as the fast charging Hadjar but the two cars interlocked on the approach to the first chicane, Collet was out whilst Hadjar relinquished positions after going through the gravel.
Position
Driver
Team
1
Franco Colapinto
Van Amersfoort Racing
2
Victor Martins
ART Grand Prix
3
Jak Crawford
PREMA Racing
4
Roman Stanek
Trident
5
Isack Hadjar
HiTech Grand Prix
Top 5 sprint race
Day 3-
Feature Race-
Stanek held his position off the line, then briefly took the lead from teammate and polesitter, Zane Maloney before the Barbados driver took charge of the race. Stanek then inherited the lead from his teammate as Maloney spun on the second safety car restart. But it wasn’t all sunshine for Trident driver as Bearman got the better jump and went ahead into Tamburello.
Jak Crawford, then repeated Stanek’s move on his teammate, Bearman to take 2nd place on the final lap, with Isack Hadjar capitalising on a clash between Bearman and Saucy at the first Rivazza further around the lap to take third as Bearman dropped to 4th.
A drying track led much of the field to opt for slicks but several drivers risked the wets in a bid to make a jump up the order. One of those who risked it, Caio Collet managed to charge through from ninth on the grid to lead by the end of lap one but his advantage was short lived as their was a safety car.
Position
Driver
Team
1
Roman Stanek
Trident
2
Jak Crawford
PREMA Racing
3
Isack Hadjar
HiTech Grand Prix
4
Oliver Bearman
PREMA Racing
5
Arthur Leclerc
PREMA Racing
Top 5 Feature Race
The Championship-
It’s heating up at the front now, as Victor Martins still leads the championship but he is tied on points with PREMA’s Arthur Leclerc. With Roman Stanek in third just one point behind, we then have Jak Crawford in 4th again one point behind Stanek and rounding out the top 5 is Isack Hadjar who is again one point behind.
Looking at the teams, it is PREMA who are comfortably sitting in the top spot on 95 points. ART Grand Prix are in second with 63 points so quite a big gap between the two. In third is Trident with 50 points.
We now have a months break until round 3 of the 2022 championship, where we will be in Barcelona, Spain!
Persistent heavy rainfall throughout the preceding night left the circuit drenched but the free practice session managed to begin on time, with the field of 29 eager drivers to check out the tricky conditions.
Jenzer Motorsport’s Ido Cohen registered the first time, but his bench mark was beaten by HiTechs Kaylen Frederick as the drivers began exploring the limits. His stint though was short-lived as championship leader, Victor Martins move to the front with a time of 1:50.134s.
Martins remained on top as a sequence of incidents started which caused a quick-fire run of red flags. Cohen spun off into the gravel at Tamburello whilst shortly after the restart David Schumacher who returns to Charouz for this week, slid off at Rivazza 1.
Once the green flag was waved once more, it was only a couple of minutes before MP Motorsport teammates Caio Collet and Kush Maini suffered separate incidents at the Villeneuve chicane and Acqua Minerale respectively, whilst Campos Racing’ Hunter Yeany returned to the pits with damaged suspension. That caused a third stoppage and the decision was taken not to restart the session.
Position
Driver
Laptime
1
Victor Martins
1:50.134
2
Isack Hadjar
1:50.168
3
Roman Stanek
1:50.959
4
Kaylen Frederick
1:51.283
5
Rafael Villagomez
1:51.324
Top 5 Practice Session.
Qualifying-
Trident’s Zane Maloney claimed his maiden Formula 3 pole position during a frantic conclusion to Qualifying. On a circuit which was rapidly drying, Maloney vaulted to the front of the pecking order to register a lap that would not be beaten.
All 29 drivers were eager to lay down a benchmark and the top spot exchanged multiple times with purple and green sector times dominating the timesheets. It all came to a juddering halt following a clash between Enzo Trulli and Arthur Leclerc that left the PREMA driver in the gravel at Rivazza 1. The incident brought out the red flag, which forced the drivers return to the pits with only five minutes on the clock.
Once it was restarted there was a frantic jostle for track position and immediately lap times tumbled due to the rapidly improving track conditions.
Qualifying determined the starting order for Sundays Feature Race but the Sprint Race line p is dictated by the top 12 being reversed. That means that the front row of the grid for the Sprint Race will consist of Franco Colapinto and Ido Cohen, who qualified 12th and 11th respectively.
The Sprint Race is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 9:35am (BST) and the Feature Race on Sunday 7:50am (BST).
British driver, Jonny Edgar will not continue his FIA Formula 3 Championship season due to health reasons. The decision was made by himself, his family, management, Red Bull and Trident motorsport. They all believe that recovery is the absolute priority for him.
The 18 year old will be replaced by Oliver Rasmussen. Rasmussen will be making his Trident debut at the upcoming test in Jerez. It will be Rasmussen’s second season in F3, having spent his last year with HWA Racelab.
The Danish driver stepped up in 2021 after finishing third in the 2020 Formula Regional European Championship, in which he won six times and took a further seven podiums- finishing inside of the points in every race he started.
The 21 year old, had stepped up to single-seaters with Jenzer Motorsport in the 2018 Italian Formula 4 Championship, before switching to PREMA for a second season. He also has experience in ADAC F4 and the Toyota Racing Series.
It is with great regret that we say goodbye to Jonny Edgar, and we wish him the quickest possible recovery. Since the start of the season, he was weakened by physical issues, but he fought like a lion. He did not back down and continued to race. However, his conditions necessitate a break from his competitive activity to support his recovery. Jonny always gave his maximum to the team, he has a fantastic family and is a wonderful guy. Oliver Rasmussen will be replacing Edgar. He is a quick and experienced driver, and we are proud to welcome him to the Trident Motorsport family. I am sure that he will quickly gain the chemistry needed to gel with the team, making the most of the four days of testing between Jerez and Barcelona, which will be followed by the round at Imola. We will put up our best effort to help Oliver and we are sure that he will provide a great contribution to the team.
Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.
I am delighted to line up for the upcoming events of the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Trident Motorsport. Joining the line-up of the reigning champion team is something that only happens a handful of times in a driver’s career, and I want to make the most out of this chance.I want to thank Trident Motorsport for the opportunity and Jota Sport for their continued support. I will give my 100 per cent on track to reward the trust that Trident Motorsport has placed in me, and I cannot wait to wear the team’s colours.
Oliver Rasmussen.
My Opinion-
Gutting for Jonny, but it was the right decision health always comes first! Wishing him well and hope to see him back on track soon!
But moving on to Rasmussen, this is a big opportunity for him now, being in the reigning teams champion car it will be interesting to see what he can do. He has testing to catch up with the car which is the perfect window for him to join the team really.
The Formula 3 2022 grid is complete before the first round this weekend in Bahrain, the first of 9 rounds and 18 races across the year.
There are 14 rookies this year, including Zak O’Sullivan in which his come of the back of 3 impressive year, being runner up in Ginetta Junior Championship, runner-up in F4 British Championship and GB3 Champion last year. Ollie Bearman, also comes inot F3 being the ADAC Formula 4 Champion and Italian F4 Champion.
Which drivers should we look out for this season?
Trident drivers, they are coming of the back of winning the 2021 Team standings, and no doubt will be wanting to do it again.
PREMA, you can never ever count out, obviously they have won the drivers championship 3 years in a row. As well as this, Arthur Leclerc has already won one championship this year and it looks like F3 will now be his main focus.
Martins and Collet, both with Alpine Academy will be looking to fight for the championship this year. It is their second year in F3 and will be hoping to move up to F2 next season if they provide the results.
Juan Manuel Correa sticking with ART Grand Prix, hoping to fight for more points this year as he goes into his second year in Formula 3.
Formula 2 has now had all their drivers confirmed for this year. The 2022 season will see a 14 round calendar, and 28 races across the year.
Half of the grid are rookies this year, with reigning Formula 3 Champion, Dennis Hauger making the step up into F2. As well as many different drivers from all different F1 team juniors, but 2022 their will be no Ferrari Driver Academy drivers, with the most recent drivers graduating to other roles…
Which drivers should we look out for this season?
Definitley both PREMA drivers, they will be want to go for both the drivers and teams championship for a third year running.
Liam Lawson moving to Carlin, is definitely one to watch, he had a few reliability issues last year, so if he doesn’t have those this year hopefully he can be a title contender.
ART Grand Prix, have a very strong line-up this year, Pourchaire will be wanting to go for the drivers championship, and Vesti will be wanting to help as the team and possibly fight for the team championship.
Jack Doohan, Olli Caldwell, Jake Hughes and Clement Novalak all stepped into F2 seats last year with some scoring points rather quickly. These 4 are ones to look out for, with scoring points consistently.
Formula 2 is back next Wednesday the 2nd of March in Sakhir, Bahrain for pre-season testing, then 2 weeks later is the first race of the season!
With a little over a week to go until pre-season testing in Sakhir, Richard Verschoor has claimed the last seat on the grid as he signs for Trident for 2022.
Verschoor competed in seven out of eight rounds in 2021 and finished 11th in the standings including his first victory with MP Motorsport in Sprint Race 2 at Silverstone.
The racer left the team before round 7 in Jeddah, but returned to the gird for the finale at Yas Marina with Charouz Racing System, where he finished 10th in the Feature Race.
In his first season of single-seaters in 2016, Verschoor won both the SMP and Spanish Formula 4 Championships. He then gained experience in ADAC F4, Italian F4, Formula Renault Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series.
Verschoor then spent two seasons in Formula 3 with MP Motorsport and won the 2019 Macau Grand Prix with the dutch team.
“I’m extremely proud and motivated to join a highly-professional and winning team like Trident Motorsport for the 2022 FIA Formula 2 Championship,” said Verschoor. “I think we have all conditions needed to achieve important goals and experience a positive season. I cannot wait to get on track. I will give my best to take full advantage of this great opportunity.”
Trident Team Manager Giacomo Ricci added: “We are proud to welcome a driver of undisputed value like Verschoor to our team. We are motivated by the prospect of working with such a talented and experienced racer, who already proved capable to achieve outstanding goals. I think Verschoor and Williams will be an extremely solid and promising combination, and they will keep pushing each other to the next level, laying the conditions for a successful season. We cannot wait to be back on track for the 2022 season with our new lineup.”
My Opinion-
Finally! I’m glad the last seat has gone to Verschoor, as I feel like he has got a lot more to give. Hopefully him going into a new team will give him the opportunities to show what his got.
Trident’s line up for 2022 is now complete as they have Roman Stanek joining them he is making the switch from HiTech Grand Prix.
The 17 year-old made his debut in Formula 3 at the start of 2020 where he joined Charouz Racing System as the youngest driver on the grid. He scored his first points in the penultimate round of the season at Monza.
In 2021, he finished in the top 10 four times and scored two podiums finishing third both times. Ahead of F3, the Czech driver won the rookie title in ADAC Formula 4 and took fifth overall in Italian F4 with three wins and six podiums across the two.
“I am proud to be part of the Trident Motorsport line-up as it is a leading force among F3 teams,” said Staněk. “I hope to bring in experience and speed to help the team defend its 2021 title. In my first two seasons in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, I’ve grown up constantly, and I am sure that with Trident Motorsport, we will have all the components needed to compete at a high level.”
Trident Team Manager Giacomo Ricci added: “We are proud to welcome a racer with such outstanding qualities like Roman Staněk. Despite being only 17, Roman is in his third year in the category and will bring the right amount of experience and speed. That will allow the team to continue its winning tradition in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. Roman impressed the technical staff l during the 2021 post-season test when he was constantly among the fastest drivers on the track.”
My Opinion-
I think this is a good move, I think this may be his last season in F3 considering this will be his third so he will want to fight for the title.
Another seat has gone for Formula 3, this one going to Zane Maloney who will be joining champions Trident for the 2022 season!
Maloney took the British Formula 4 title back in 2019 making him the first driver from his country to win a single-seater championship in Europe. It was his first season racing in single-seaters but he managed to grab 10 wins on his way to the title.
In 2020 he competed in Euroformula Open, delivering two podiums in which he finished 8th overall. He made the switch to Formula Regional European for 2021 where he finished 4th in his debut season. He managed to grab a win as well as six podiums and one pole position.
Maloney, tested for Trident in the post-season test at Valencia and impressed the team! He managed to get in the top 10 in 5 out of the 6 sessions.
“I am proud to debut in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Trident Motorsport, the queen among the teams in the series,” said Maloney. “Throughout the last season, I think I have grown as a driver, both in terms of managing the race weekends and in paying attention to every detail. Together with Trident Motorsport, I want to continue in this direction, and I am sure that there are all the ingredients to do well in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. I can’t wait to get out on track and start this new adventure in an extremely popular and competitive series.”
Trident Team Manager Giacomo Ricci added: “We are delighted to welcome Zane to our line-up. He really stood out in the post-season test at Valencia last November. Zane adapted very quickly to the F3 car, posting competitive results both in terms of performance and long runs. A strong bond immediately formed between him and the team, which is proud to have secured a driver with good prospects with whom to compete in a demanding series such as the FIA Formula 3 Championship.”
My Opinion-
This is a good move for him! It was only a matter of time till he was in Formula 3. He impressed in the post-season test so it will be interesting to see how he does throughout the season…
A few more Formula 3 seats have been taken up recently, so lets take a look…
Edgar to Trident-
The reigning Champs, Trident annoucned that Jonny Edgar will be joining the team for 2022, where he moves from Carlin. The Brit, finished 18th with 23 points in his rookie season- he managed to score five top-10 finishes.
He drove for the team, in post-season testing and impressed the team to earn a drive, he ended the afternoon session on day 3 in third.
Jonny is also a member of the Red Bull Junior team, he has 3 years of experience in single seaters, which includes him winning the 2020 ADAC Formula 4 title.
Trident Team Owner Maurizio Salvadori added: “Jonny Edgar is a driver that we followed very closely last year in the Formula 3 Championship. Although he did not receive particular results, the English driver impressed us thanks to his qualities. I am therefore very happy that Jonny will. be part of the Trident Team lineup in 2022. I am sure that he will compete in a top championship and will be a real protagonist of the season.”
Correa stays with ART-
Juan Manuel Correa and Art Grand Prix have signed for another year together in Formula 3. The Sauber junior made his racing return with ART last year, two years on from the tragic accident in Spa.
He ended 2021, in 21st place where he had five top 10 finishes. When he was racing in Formula 2 he was a double-podium finisher scoring second place at Baku and Le Castellet with Charouz Racing System.
Correa took part in the Formula 2 post-season test in Abu Dhabi with Charouz so he could get some more mileage underneath him.
Team Principal Sébastien Philippe added: “Juan Manuel provided positive feedback by fitting in perfectly with the team and making progress after missing a year due to that pivotal event in his career. His strength of character has enabled him to rediscover his joy behind the wheel and to fight regularly in the top 10. In 2022, with the help of ART Grand Prix, he will be keen to take an additional step in his goals, to be even closer to the front and to participate in the team’s ambition to win both championships.”
MP signs Smolyar-
The Russian driver, Alex Smolyar will be returning to Formula 3 for his third season, but he is swapping ART Grand Prix for MP Motorsport.
Last year, Smolyar finished sixth overall, with two wins and four podiums. In his rookie season in 2020, he ended 11th with just one podium to his name.
The Russian, first made his single seater debut in 2017, where he drove for SMP Racing in Spanish F4 and SMP F4. He finished third in both series. He then went on to spend the next two years in the Formula Renault Eurocup.
“It’s great news that Alex and SMP Racing have put their faith in MP for this year’s FIA F3 Championship”, said MP Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman. “Alex is arguably one of the best drivers to stay in the category for another season, and his vast knowledge of the car and the circuits will serve us well as we look forward to a strong season.”
My Opinion-
The move for Jonny is the right one, I feel like we will see a different driver this year in him. He will be wanting to help the team fight for the Championship again.
Correa has a good relationship with ART GP, and its only right that he stays with them I think. I feel like him staying in F3 this year is the right decision, hopefully we will see him make an appearance in the top 10 more consistently this year!
Smolyar, I feel like ART GP wasn’t the right fit for him. Yes he has done well in his first two years in F3 but I feel like MP will help make that step forward. It will be interesting to see how he does with a new team.
Trident have signed their first driver for the 2022 season, that being Calan Williams after an impressive post-season test with the team in Abu Dhabi.
He managed to finish 6th in the afternoon session of Day 1, he also ran in top 12 throughout Day 2 and managed to complete 254 laps overall.
The Australian is taking the step up from F3 with Jenzer Motorsport, he finished the season as the teams highest point scorer in 2021 where he took his maiden podium.
Before moving to European racing, Williams finished second in the 2016 Western Australian Formula Ford series and won the 2017 Australian Formula 3 Premier Series.
“I am extremely happy to have secured the drive with Trident Motorsport,” said Williams. “They are an incredibly professional team and we have been working very well together over the past couple of months as well as during the Abu Dhabi Post Season tests. It’s such a unique chance that I have to step up into Formula 2. I’ll be working harder than ever to ensure that I perform to the best of my ability. I am very appreciative of Trident Motorsport for the opportunity and belief in me.”
Trident Team Manager Giacomo Ricci added: “The 2021 Abu Dhabi F2 Post Season Test session was very positive for Calan. He was able to adapt very quickly to the FIA F2 car and this allowed him to be competitive both in terms of performance and during the race simulation.
We were very impressed with his performance. He has a very high work ethic, and it is great to work with a Driver who dedicates his life every day to go faster. There is already a very strong working bond between Calan and the team. We are proud to have secured Calan with Trident Motorsport allowing us to face the FIA F2 2022 Championship together. I am confident of being able to achieve significant results during the 2022 season.”
My Opinion-
I think this is a good move, I’ll be looking at how he does with a new team after being with the same team for two years. With the right technique the Trident car can be up in the point regularly so it’ll be interesting to see how he does in the car.
Jordan's Track Talk 