Five things to watch for as Formula 3 returns to action this weekend

Formula 3 makes its long-awaited return to racing this weekend in Barcelona, armed with a brand-new format, brand-new circuits, and a seriously strong pool of drivers, with 18 exciting rookies and 12 returning favourites.

We take a look at five things you should be keeping your eye on this weekend…

1. THE BATTLE OF THE FORMULA 1 ACADEMIES

Academy talent has shined through in the first two seasons of Formula 3, but so far Red Bull have had to sit back and watch as the Ferrari Driver Academy and the now-named Alpine Academy have taken the titles. The Red Bull Junior Team do have the rebranded third tier’s first Formula 1 graduate in Yuki Tsunoda, but they’ll still be itching to lift the trophy themselves.

Placing Dennis Hauger with reigning Champions PREMA Racing puts them in a strong position to do that, while Jack Doohan is with 2020 vice-champions Trident. Rookie duo Jak Crawford and Ayumu Iwasa are less experienced but highly rated in their own right and line-up with Hitech Grand Prix. There is also British racer Jonny Edgar, who has stepped up with Carlin Buzz Racing.

PREMA’s Arthur Leclerc – brother of F1 racer Charles Leclerc – is Ferrari’s hopefully for the year, while Mercedes have also thrown their hat into the mix, snapping up title favourite Frederik Vesti and placing him with ART Grand Prix.

Alpine Academy duo Victor Martins and Caio Collet arrive at MP Motorsport with promising reputations from Formula Renault Eurocup, stepping up as Champion and Vice-Champion. The pairing were the leading men at both pre-season tests, and their rivalry at the 2020 race winners will be one to watch.

2. CAN ANYONE STOP PREMA’S DOMINANCE?

PREMA’s Arthur Leclerc – brother of F1 racer Charles Leclerc – is Ferrari’s hopefully for the year, while Mercedes have also thrown their hat into the mix, snapping up title favourite Frederik Vesti and placing him with ART Grand Prix.

Alpine Academy duo Victor Martins and Caio Collet arrive at MP Motorsport with promising reputations from Formula Renault Eurocup, stepping up as Champion and Vice-Champion. The pairing were the leading men at both pre-season tests, and their rivalry at the 2020 race winners will be one to watch.

ART have recruited well in the off-season, snatching Vesti from PREMA and bringing in the experience of returning racer Juan Manuel Correa, while also retaining podium-finisher Alex Smolyar.

Meanwhile, Trident have secured a trio of second years to help their cause, with Jack Doohan, Clément Novalak and David Schumacher switching to the Italians. Both teams, along with fellow 2020 race winners Hitech and MP, will feel they can prevent PREMA from securing a third title.

3. WHO WILL BE THE SURPRISE PACKAGE?

There is always a surprise package in F3, with the likes of Yuki Tsunoda and Théo Pourchaire both outperforming what was expected of them in their rookie season and starring amongst more experienced racers.

There are plenty of potential candidates in F3 this season, with the likes of Jonny Edgar, Caio Collet, Pierre-Louis Chovet and Oliver Rasmussen – to name just a few - all possessing the ability to turn a few heads.

4. A STRONG COHORT OF RETURNING FAVOURITES

With two of the top five returning for 2021, the rookies look set for a tougher time of things this year. Last season, Oscar Piastri took the 2020 title in his maiden season with PREMA, finishing ahead of a fellow debutant Théo Pourchaire.

The return of third and fourth place finishers Logan Sargeant and Frederik Vesti could make things a lot more difficult for rookies this time around, as will Alex Smolyar, Clément Novalak and Dennis Hauger, who all scored podiums last year and line up with race-winning teams, ART, Trident and PREMA.

Though, the addition of two new tracks, in Austin and Zandvoort, does have the potential to level the playing field between the rookies and the more experienced.

5. BRAND NEW TRACKS

Speaking of which, F3 will be heading stateside for the first time in its history, joining F1 in Austin, Texas.

In the past two seasons, F3 have run on a selection of European tracks, before ending the campaign in Russia, but this time the third tier has opted to head to America for a mega season finale.

With four Americans on the grid this year, in Logan Sargeant, Juan Manuel Correa, Jak Crawford and Kaylen Frederick, it should prove to be an excellent spectacle and a prestigious way to end the campaign.

As well as Austin, F3 will also debut at Zandvoort, an old school circuit on the Dutch coast.