Trident’s new signing Jonny Edgar believes he’s joining one of the “two best teams” in Formula 3, saying that the Italian outfit will give him the best possible chance of fighting for the title in his second season.

Driving for Carlin in his rookie year, Edgar was the team’s strongest driver, ending the year 18th in the standings with five top 10 finishes. And although he knows the competition will be tough in 2022, the British Red Bull junior is confident that the title is within his reach.

“It is really good to sign for Trident, they won the Teams’ Championship last year and Jack (Doohan) got close to the Drivers’ Championship with them,” said Edgar. “I think Trident and PREMA are the two best teams, so to sign with Trident is really good. I think it gives me a good chance this year.

“It won’t be easy at all, PREMA have a good line-up and I expect ART to as well, and there are always drivers and teams who perform that you didn't expect to. The aim is to win, and it is definitely possible with the car, but it won't be easy as there are a lot of good drivers.

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Edgar was Carlins highest points scorer in 2021 finishing 18th with five top 10 finishes
Edgar was Carlin's highest points' scorer in 2021, finishing 18th with five top 10 finishes

“For me, I would say the championship is the main goal, but there are a lot of good drivers, so I would be happy with the top three.”

Doohan finished as vice-champion with Trident last season, scoring four wins and three further podiums as the Italians won the teams’ title for the first time in their history. The Australian - who has since stepped up to Formula 2 - enjoyed a transformative year, having failed to take a point with HWA RACELAB in 2020.

And given that Edgar scored five top 10 finishes in F3 last season, he sees no reason why he can’t undergo a similar improvement to Doohan, highlighting the work he did with the team at post-season testing in Valencia.

“The test was really good,” he continued. “I had already been to the factory to work with the team, and we were able to try a lot of different things at the test. Not just new things either, we were also rechecking things that the team thought they knew, but they wanted to confirm.

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Edgar joins Trident for 2022 after a succesful test with the team
Edgar joins Trident for 2022, after a succesful test with the team

“Trident’s car needed a slightly different driving style compared to what I am used to, so it took time to adjust, but I managed to get used to it by the end of the test. It’s a really nice team and they were really good to work with.

“Qualifying will be an area to focus on. I wouldn't say it was a massive weakness last year but is arguably the most important part of the weekend, so even if you’re doing well, you can always improve. I will see how things start with the team and work out what I need to improve from there.”

The 17-year-old’s next on-track session will be at March’s pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, ahead of the season opener in the same place just two weeks later.

“It will be my first time in Bahrain, so at least we have a three-day test there before the race, although I think it will be new for pretty much everyone,” he continued.

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Edgar made his debut for Trident at post-season testing in Valencia
Edgar made his debut for Trident at post-season testing in Valencia

“Because we race at Bahrain only a couple of weeks later, we will probably try some track-specific stuff and some race runs, whereas at Valencia, it was more focused on finding out what works as a whole.

“I’ll be working with the team on various different aspects throughout the test, whether that be a driving style for during the race or different ways to better save the tyres, but I don't think that it will be anything new or anything massive.”