Five reasons to be excited for F3’s return to Silverstone

29 June 2022

Making its highly anticipated return to the calendar after a break in 2021, Formula 3 is back in action at Silverstone this weekend. A month after an enthralling event in Barcelona, the iconic British circuit plays host to the fourth round of the 2022 season and the grid are geared up to hit the ground running.

Here’s why we’re ready to go racing in the UK once again…

1. THE BRITS ARE BACK

They say there’s no place like home and home glory could be on the cards for four drivers this weekend. Jonny Edgar, Oliver Bearman, Zak O’Sullivan and Reece Ushijima are all competing under the British flag and you can count on the British fans to show their support for their local heroes.

Following his two-round absence, Edgar is back behind the wheel for Trident and ready to give the crowd something to celebrate. Meanwhile, the hunt is on for Bearman as the PREMA Racing driver is focused on closing the gap to the top five in the Drivers’ Championship. He’ll be one to watch after finishing second at Silverstone in the GB3 Championship last year.

O’Sullivan is also no stranger to the Silverstone podium, having taken victory that same weekend and the Williams Racing junior will be keen to recreate that race-winning form and return to the points.

It's not just the drivers getting in on the home race action, as British teams Carlin and Hitech Grand Prix are aiming for success. Hitech is taking racing at home to a whole new level, as all the action is right on the Silverstone-based team’s doorstep.

2. THE CIRCUIT

We might not be able to predict what the British weather might hold (we’re bringing our sunscreen and umbrellas just in case), but there’s one thing we do know – Silverstone always provides a blockbuster weekend of racing that has us on the edge of our seats.

A true test of all the skills, the much-loved venue is demanding from start to finish. The high-speed circuit features 18 challenging corners and three long straights that are primed for overtaking, so expect plenty of battles up and down the 30-car field.

They’ll have their hands full inside the cockpit. While the former airfield can still punish any little mistake, tyre management will once again be at the forefront of drivers’ minds in a battle to reach the chequered flag.

3. UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY

For over a third of the grid, this weekend will be their first taste of what the historic circuit has to offer. 15 drivers have no experience around the 5.8km track, including Championship contenders Isack Hadjar, Jak Crawford and Arthur Leclerc, who’ll have a lot to learn across their only 45-minute Practice session.

Having missed out on a top three finish in the closing stages of the Barcelona Sprint Race, Juan Manuel Correa will be determined to secure his first podium of the 2022 campaign at a track he knows very well - the ART Grand Prix driver previously raced there in Formula 2 and F3’s predecessor GP3.

He’s joined in a two-man club of drivers who’ve got prior experience of this circuit at this level by Jenzer Motorsport’s Federico Malvestiti.

4. A NEW F3 WINNER?

We’ve already had four first-time winners in three rounds, but could we see another driver add their name to the winners’ list this time around?

Logan Sargeant was the fastest man on track across the double-header in 2020. The American driver seized pole position across both weekends and never looked back the following weekend either, dominating the race to seal his maiden F3 victory. In Race 2, Bent Viscaal left it right to the last second to write his name into the record books with a decisive final corner overtake on Lirim Zendeli securing the Dutch driver’s first win in the Championship.

5. THE TITLE FIGHT IS HEATING UP

Six points separate Victor Martins and Roman Stanek at the top of the drivers’ standings. Bouncing back in the Barcelona Feature Race proved to be crucial in the ART driver’s quest to keep his Trident rival at bay.

However, Martins faces stiff competition to hold on to the top spot. With three cars in the top seven, PREMA will be hoping to unseat the Frenchman and extend their lead in the Teams’ Championship. Leading the charge for the Italian team is Crawford in third but watch out for fifth-place Leclerc, who’s shown rapid Qualifying pace and just needs a weekend to put it all together, and rookie Bearman in seventh.

Yet no driver has scored points in all six races so far and as we know in Formula 3, consistency is key…