Rookie León fastest on opening day of pre-season testing in Sakhir

With 161 days having gone by since the 2023 season finale in Monza, the 2024 Formula 3 campaign kicked off with pre-season testing today at the Bahrain International Circuit. It started with a rain-hampered morning session that was led by MP Motorsport rookie Alex Dunne.

In a much drier afternoon session, it was another newcomer who achieved the fastest lap. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel León secured top spot with a time of 1:46.657, with Campos Racing’s Oliver Goethe just a fraction off his pace.

MORNING

As the lights turned green on the 2024 season, one by one the drivers filed out on the track for installation laps, led by Rodin Motorsport rookie Callum Voisin.

Following a quiet first hour of running, it was Charlie Wurz who led the way with a time of 2:00.598. His nearest challenger came in the form of his Jenzer Motorsport teammate Matías Zagazeta, who was just under a second off the lead time.

But with rain hitting the circuit and the track being declared wet, teams opted to keep their drivers and cars in the garages. That was until the final 10 minutes, when the sun began to shine through the dark clouds, leading to a flurry of activity in the pitlane.

A number of drivers traded fast laps in the closing stages before MP Motorsport rookie Dunne edged out Goethe to set the pace. The Irish driver’s time of 1:59.516 was good enough to top the leaderboard, with the German from Campos just 0.021s off the pace.

Tim Tramnitz ended up third for MP, about three and a half tenths off teammate Dunne’s benchmark time. Trident rookie driver Sami Meguetounif was fourth and the only other driver to dip below the two-minute mark.

AFTERNOON

With his first laps of the session, Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Luke Browning made the fastest start by going straight to the top of the timesheets. The British racer completed a 1:56.257 as track conditions started to improve.

At just under 90 minutes left of the day’s running, the majority of the field went out on track. Times started to tumble with drivers now going beneath the 1:50s for the first time in the day. Sophia Floersch took over the top spot, a Van Amersfoort Racing one-two, with León just over three-tenths off his teammate’s pace-setting time of 1:48.238.

With one hour remaining on the clock, Gabriele Minì then surged to the top of the leaderboard. PREMA Racing teammate Dino Beganovic tucked in right behind him, as his best effort was just 0.118s off the Italian’s benchmark 1:46.942.

With 10 minutes left in the afternoon, the time screens were being set alight with green and purple sectors. Leon now then took over the reins at the top of the timesheets. Goethe wound up just 0.015s off his pace, just ahead of Tramnitz, who was once again taking up P3 for MP Motorsport.

The Red Flags were then waved in the final minutes of the day as both Sebastián Montaya of Campos and Piotr Wisnicki of Rodin Motorsport parked their cars by the side of the road.

The second day of F3 pre-season testing will kick off at 09:00 local time and can be followed live via live timing.

2024 FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP - SAKHIR PRE-SEASON TEST, DAY 1, MORNING SESSION

2024 FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP - SAKHIR PRE-SEASON TEST, DAY 1, AFTERNOON SESSION