Bruno Michel’s double-header debrief

After the double-header of Monte Carlo and Barcelona, FIA Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel reflects on two weekends full of action, as the title fight continues to take shape.

With different teams achieving new season-best results and one outfit in particular fighting at the front with regularity, it’s shaping up to be another exciting campaign.

BACK TO RACING

“It was really nice to see F3 back on track. The drivers and the teams have been missing the racing for a long time, so it was really good, and it's always a very tricky track to come back to in Monaco, we know that.

“The races sometimes are a little bit of a procession in the streets of Monte Carlo, but on the other hand, Qualifying is absolutely key. We had great sessions of quali for F3, and I think Pole Position was fought over until the very last minute.

“The more you go around, the less fuel you have, and the faster you go, so it's always at the very end of the session that you get the best laps, and it was really interesting, so congratulations to Théophile Nael in Formula 3, and Rafael Câmara in Formula 2.”

DAMS LUCAS OIL VICTORIOUS IN F3, ALL THE BEST FOR BRAD BENAVIDES

“DAMS had their first victory in Formula 3, first podium and first win, which is quite an accomplishment, especially to achieve this on such a demanding track. I'm really happy for Gerrard Xie, because he had a great race as well, and it's good to see more teams on the podium, that's for sure.

“In Monaco it’s always the same - you always cross your fingers for the first lap. Saint Devote is always very tricky, and then you have the mid-to-rear of the pack, all these drivers fighting for the same part of track at the same time, it's always tricky.

“In F3, there was a collision in the Sprint Race, and I hope that Brad Benavides is going to be okay in his recovery. I wish him all the best and I hope we see him very soon.

“But otherwise, the racing was extremely clean, and it's a proof of quite good maturity of the field, because at the end of the day, those cars are very fast, they all want to prove themselves and make a difference, so that they can do such a clean race with quite a lot of action as well, speaks volumes.”

CAMPOS RACING IN FORM

“I want to also congratulate Campos. At the moment, they lead both the F2 and F3 Championships with a few points over the others. Ugo Ugochukwu is leading the championship for the drivers, and he's doing a great job, overall.

“In Barcelona, Théophile Nael’s Feature Race was really, really good. He started from pole for the third time in a row, and he this time, he converted it into a race win. Barcelona’s Feature event was an amazing race.”

PREMA RACING BACK IN THE PICTURE, CAMPOS AND VAR CONTINUES TO IMPRESS

“PREMA had a very difficult beginning to the season, but in Barcelona they won the Sprint, which is a great way to bounce back, and give the team a timely boost. James Wharton’s race was strong. He needed this type of result after two difficult rounds in Melbourne and Monaco.

“We can see that two teams are slightly ahead of the others at present. Campos was already leading coming to Barcelona, and they continue to do a fantastic job. Meanwhile VAR are getting their drivers on the podium and in the points at every round so far.

“I'm glad to see rookie Hiyu Yamakoshi back on the podium in Barcelona Feature Race after the heartbreak of losing Monaco Sprint Race win following disqualification for a technical infringement.”

WORTH THE WAIT

“The F3 Championship is going to be very open, I feel, this season. So far, out of three Qualifying Sessions, Nael has claimed all three pole positions. With the Barcelona Feature victory, he's now very close to Ugo in front, who is doing a very solid job as well. The current Top 5 remains very close, so it's a very exciting championship so far, and we’ve seen very, very strong racing. I think most of the teams are doing a great job, so let's continue like this.

“We had quite a long stretch between Melbourne and then Monaco, which was a bit frustrating for everybody, but now, after these back-to-back weekends, we have a weekend off and then it’s off to Austria and another back-to-back with Silverstone. Everybody will be quite busy until the summer break!”