From a nail-biting seven-way title fight to heroic comebacks, to teams up and down the grid battling it out up front, the 2022 FIA Formula 3 season had it all. Ultimately, it was ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins who brought home the glory, whilst PREMA Racing wrestled the Teams’ title back from Trident in what proved to be one of the most competitive seasons in the Championship’s history.

Whilst we’re all counting down the days until Formula 3 returns to action, CEO Bruno Michel reviews the standout moments from the season and why he’s eagerly anticipating the 2023 campaign, with the stage already set for the third tier’s longest-ever calendar.

NO SHORTAGE OF COMPETITION

“It’s been a fantastic season – probably the closest season we’ve ever had in terms of the Drivers’ Championship,” said Michel. “We entered Monza with seven drivers that could win the Championship at the last event, which is quite amazing. All of them are strong young drivers, performing well, but not always so consistent over the season and that’s why they arrived at the last round with that situation.

“No driver had been massively consistent; they all had their ups and downs, including Martins. Nobody was making a step that far ahead that it would make the others’ job to catch up more difficult. We arrived at the last round, and nobody was sure who was going to be the Champion, there were no certainties.”

Hadjar scored the first of three victories after Bearman received a five-second time penalty
Hadjar scored the first of three victories after Bearman received a five-second time penalty

For Michel, the opening round in Sakhir set the scene for a battle of the ages. Firstly, newcomers Van Amersfoort Racing and Franco Colapinto snatched a maiden pole position, whilst rookies Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman duelled for victory in the Sprint Race.

“It was a good start to the season. I was very impressed by the job that VAR did because it was their first event with Formula 3 and to be on pole position at the first event is always an achievement, knowing that there are very strong teams in the Championship. Then you saw the fights between Colapinto, Martins, Bearman, Leclerc and Maloney - all these guys were already there so it quite rapidly set up what the season was going to look like.”

READ MORE: ART’s inside take: How title-contender pressure propelled Martins to glory

However, it was returnee Martins who threw down the gauntlet to his rivals, claiming his first win of the year in the Sakhir Feature Race and assuming the Championship lead, which he would retain for seven out of the nine rounds. The Frenchman’s maturity eventually paid off, as ART were rewarded with their first Drivers’ title in the Formula 3 era – an achievement they’ll be hungry to defend in 2023.

“It’s a very good achievement for ART, I think they deserve it, and Martins is also a worthy winner,” Michel said. “It's always good to have different teams winning the Drivers’ Championship, it gives a little bit more spice to the Championship. Martins had strong season for sure, everybody was expecting him to be in the title fight and he was. He started well, then he had some difficult moments in the middle of the season and finished it on a high.”

Weathering a huge learning curve in their step-up to F3, rookies Zane Maloney, Oliver Bearman and Hadjar caught both fans and Michel’s attention. Marking their position as ones to watch in future, the trio scored seven victories a further 10 podiums and all three secured a top four spot in the final standings.

READ MORE: Evolving from rookie to title protagonist, now Oliver Bearman’s coming of age

“What impresses you about the rookies is the results they get, it’s the fact that they can qualify well and when they have a good Qualifying position, they can deliver in the race,” Michel noted. “Consistency is quite important, which is something that for rookies is always a bit more complicated. Bearman, Hadjar and Maloney did a fantastic job and they pushed Martins to the very end. When you have rookies winning immediately at this level, you know that those guys are going to be outstanding, so we will be following them closely.”

Maloney made F3 history when he became the first driver to score three consecutive Feature Race wins
Maloney made F3 history when he became the first driver to score three consecutive Feature Race wins

“What impresses you about the rookies is the results they get, it’s the fact that they can qualify well and when they have a good Qualifying position, they can deliver in the race,” Michel noted. “Consistency is quite important, which is something that for rookies is always a bit more complicated. Bearman, Hadjar and Maloney did a fantastic job and they pushed Martins to the very end. When you have rookies winning immediately at this level, you know that those guys are going to be outstanding, so we will be following them closely.”

SUCCESSES ACROSS THE BOARD

It wasn’t only the Drivers’ title fight that proved to be fiercely competitive, with 11 different drivers and seven teams taking home a win, whilst eight teams secured silverware. Several teams continued to go from strength to strength in the midfield and build the foundations towards a promising 2023.

Out front, PREMA were a force to be reckoned with, but Trident’s season-ending resurgence gave them a run for their money right until the end. Meanwhile, ART, MP Motorsport and Hitech Grand Prix were hot on their heels throughout.

“PREMA had been dominating the season quite rapidly and they had a little bit of difficulties, but they were more or less in control of what was happening with the Teams’ Championship. If you can attract three strong drivers, it’s going to be much easier to achieve the Teams’ Championship.

READ MORE: Rosin: Regaining Teams’ title a worthy prize for PREMA Racing

“When you have Bearman, Leclerc and Jak Crawford all fighting for the title, they’re all very gifted drivers - that’s the skill of PREMA to be able to attract these top drivers. If you want to win the Championship, you’ll have a much better chance if you have three drivers scoring points and podiums regularly.”

PREMA Racing racked up 13 podium finishes across the 22 season including a double podium at Silverstone
PREMA Racing racked up 13 podium finishes across the '22 season, including a double podium at Silverstone

TWO DETERMINED RETURNS

In 2022, not all battles were on track as two drivers inspired many with their tenacity and determination. Firstly, Juan Manuel Correa’s road to recovery culminated in a maiden F3 podium in Zandvoort, as well as a full-time return to F2 for the upcoming season. Additionally, Trident’s Jonny Edgar fought back after health problems to return to the track in style and closed the season as one of the most consistent performers after the summer break.

“Both of them were very impressive,” Michel noted. “Starting with Correa, we all remember what happened at Spa in 2019 and we’ve been following him very, very closely ever since. He remained part of our family, so we were happy to see him coming back. It was a fantastic achievement and what he showed to be able to do that is absolutely amazing. It’s a lesson for everybody.

READ MORE: Overcoming setbacks and focusing on the now: Juan Manuel Correa’s reinvention is complete

“It was the same thing for Edgar, we were quite worried when he had to stop after the first weekend, but he came back and did well. We’re working with very special young boys with such a strong resilience, it’s quite amazing so well done to both of them.”

Dino Beganovic is one of 10 drivers graduating to F3 full-time for the 2023 season
Dino Beganovic is one of 10 drivers graduating to F3 full-time for the 2023 season

THE FUTURE IS LOOKING BRIGHT

Closing the chapter on 2022, the dawn of the 2023 season draws ever closer. Sixteen drivers have already been announced, with PREMA, Trident and ART locking in their line-ups, whilst preparations are underway for a record-breaking calendar which will see F3 travel to three continents for the first time.

“What I’m most excited about for Formula 3 next season is the calendar that we’re going to have. We’ve increased the number of events to 10 weekends, which is the most we’ve ever done. I think it’s the really the result of how healthy the Championship is, not only the quantity but the quality of the calendar.

READ MORE: 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship calendar announced

“We’re going to Melbourne, which is quite amazing, and we’re going to Bahrain, so we’ll have two flyaway events as the first two rounds of the Championship. On top of that, we’ve added Monaco to our calendar, which is quite important for the drivers because so far, they were arriving to Formula 2 and most of them had not raced in Monaco. It’s a very prestigious weekend as well.”

Michel concluded: “It’s going to be a very, very interesting and competitive year and from what I saw with the test we did in Jerez is that there’s a lot of interest in F3. The teams were already starting to sign drivers, which is very good, and it shows that this Championship has a very strong future.”