R01 – Bahrain – FIA Formula 3 Race Preview
The FIA Formula 3 Championship will be back underway this weekend at Bahrain International Circuit, home to the opening round of the season. Lining up for the first event of the year at the desert venue of Sakhir, PREMA Racing is back to the championship as the reigning driver champion to extend its long-standing tradition in the series.
The team will rely on a quality three-driver line-up, including Arthur Leclerc, Jak Crawford, and Ollie Bearman. Leclerc, as well as Bearman, is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy Programme. The 21-year-old from Monte Carlo has raced for PREMA last year and quickly cruised to victory. In addition, he was recently crowned Formula Regional Asian Champion at the end of a dominating season.
Crawford, a 16-year-old from the USA, claimed one podium finish last season. The Red Bull Junior driver is looking forward to stepping up this year after showing so much promise in the past.
Last but not least, Bearman will be facing a bold challenge. The British racer, who is also 16, is moving up straight from Formula 4 racing after dominating the 2021 season and cruising to win the Italian and German championship titles.
Awaiting the drivers, a revamped two-race weekend format, with one race on Saturday, featuring a reversed top-12 grid from qualifying, and one race on Sunday.
Rene Rosin – Team Principal
“We cannot wait for the FIA Formula 3 season to start. F3 is at the heart of our history, so we are delighted to continue our tradition in the series. We will field three highly competitive drivers, and we rely on a balanced line-up for continued success. Arthur will be back with us for his second season in F3, and he showed winning form last year. Jak will also be entering his second year in F3, and has shown great potential. Ollie will make a big step from Formula 4, and we are looking forward to helping him transition to a challenging new environment, and hopefully, getting good results.”
Weekend Timetable*
Friday, March 18th, 2022
11:25 – Practice
16:25 – Qualifying
Saturday, March 19th, 2022
12:45 – Race 1
Sunday, March 20th, 2022
11:45 – Race 2
*All times local, GMT+3
Source | Photo: PREMA Racing