Preview
The Formula 3 Championship returns to action in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, this week following a dramatic opening round of the season at the Bahrain International Circuit last month.
Starting on Tuesday, the two days of testing will give the teams and drivers a chance to hone their learnings from the first two races of the season before heading to Barcelona in ten days, where they’ll get another two days of track time under their belts.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Running 5-6 April, the official two-day test offers a total of 12 hours of track time, with each day split into a morning and afternoon session. On both days morning running will start at 9.00am and end at 12pm local time. On Day 1 of testing, the afternoon session will start at 2pm and finish at 5pm, while on Day 2, it will begin and 1pm and end at 4pm local time.
Teams will be testing on Pirelli’s white-walled hard compound tyres, the same allocation that will be used during both the Barcelona test as well as in Round 3 at the same venue. Each car will be allocated eight sets of tyres for the duration of the test.
THE STORY SO FAR
The 2022 campaign got off to a flying start last month in Sakhir, Bahrain, and while it was two second-year drivers, Victor Martins and Arthur Leclerc, who finished the weekend atop the Drivers’ Championship, there were several rookies also eager to make an early statement.
After Trident’s Roman Staněk finished fastest in Free Practice, rookie Franco Colapinto took a stunning pole position for Van Amersfoort Racing on their debut, with Staněk in second.
Hitech Grand Prix’s Isack Hadjar had shone in pre-season testing and the rookie clinched a maiden victory in the opening race of the weekend, after PREMA’s Oliver Bearman was handed a post-race penalty for track limit violations. The Briton found himself in second after the penalty was applied ahead of MP Motorsport’s Alexander Smolyar.
It was ART Grand Prix’s Martins who claimed glory in the Feature Race, prevailing over Leclerc who drove his PREMA from 13th on the grid to second at the chequered flag. The pair of returning drivers were joined on the podium by Martin’s rookie ART teammate Saucy, who claimed his maiden podium in the third tier.
THE CHALLENGERS
Victor Martins, the highest returning driver from the 2021 campaign, leads the Drivers’ Championship with 25 points. Trailing by just one point is Arthur Leclerc, who sits second with 24 points. Oliver Bearman is third with 17 points, ahead of Grégoire Saucy with 15 points in fourth. Juan Manuel Correa rounds out the top five with 14 points.
In the Teams’ Championship, it’s ART Grand Prix lead the Standings with 54 points, ahead of PREMA Racing who sit second with 47 points. Hitech Grand Prix are in third with 14 points. MP Motorsport and Van Amersfoort Racing sit in fourth and fifth respectively, with 12 points each.
Red Bull junior Jonny Edgar will not continue his Formula 3 season due to health reasons. The 18-year-old will be replaced at Trident by Oliver Rasmussen, who will debut for the Italian team this week in Jerez, ahead of further testing in Barcelona and Round 2 in Imola.
Italian driver Federico Malvestiti returns to test with Jenzer Motorsport at the Circuito de Jerez, having previously driven for the Swiss outfit in 2020.
WHERE TO FOLLOW
Follow testing on the official FIA Formula 3 Championship website via live timing.
2022 FIA Formula 3 Jerez Testing Entry List
# | DRIVER | TEAM |
---|---|---|
1 | Oliver Rasmussen | Trident |
2 | Roman Stanek | Trident |
3 | Zane Maloney | Trident |
4 | Arthur Leclerc | PREMA Racing |
5 | Jak Crawford | PREMA Racing |
6 | Oliver Bearman | PREMA Racing |
7 | Victor Martins | ART Grand Prix |
8 | Grégoire Saucy | ART Grand Prix |
9 | Juan Manuel Correa | ART Grand Prix |
10 | Caio Collet | MP Motorsport |
11 | Alex Smolyar | MP Motorsport |
12 | Kush Maini | MP Motorsport |
14 | László Tóth | Charouz Racing System |
15 | Ayrton Simmons | Charouz Racing System |
16 | Francesco Pizzi | Charouz Racing System |
17 | Kaylen Frederick | Hitech Grand Prix |
18 | Isack Hadjar | Hitech Grand Prix |
19 | Nazim Azman | Hitech Grand Prix |
20 | David Vidales | Campos Racing |
21 | Hunter Yeany | Campos Racing |
22 | Josep María Martí | Campos Racing |
23 | Ido Cohen | Jenzer Motorsport |
24 | Federico Malvestiti | Jenzer Motorsport |
25 | William Alatalo | Jenzer Motorsport |
26 | Zak O'Sullivan | Carlin |
27 | Brad Benavides | Carlin |
28 | Enzo Trulli | Carlin |
29 | Franco Colapinto | Van Amersfoort Racing |
30 | Rafael Villagomez | Van Amersfoort Racing |
31 | Reece Ushijima | Van Amersfoort Racing |