In addition to Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 will also be present at the Bahrain Grand Prix for the first race weekend of the 2023 season. International circuit.
F2: Supreme Pourchaire with unthreatened victory, rookies provide spectacle
Théo Pourchaire was able to convert his pole position into a victory. The ART driver was able to win with force majeure at the Bahrain International Circuit, as he was more than nineteen seconds ahead of Ralph Boschung, who previously won the sprint race. The Swiss was unable to capitalize on the tire advantage in the first stint and therefore had to settle for second place. Zane Maloney was part of the midfield spectacle, but eventually took another podium.
In midfield, the rookies provided a lot of action. Oliver Bearman had several Red Bull Racing juniors breathing down his neck, all of whom he had to keep behind him. Maloney was the first with a successful action, but after a mistake by the Briton, the other Red Bull juniors also passed him by. Richard Verschoor was also able to take advantage of the tire advantage in the final phase. The Dutchman was involved in an incident in the first lap, but managed to climb to fifth place.
F3: Mini crosses the line first, but has to leave victory to Bortoleto due to time penalty
Gabriel Bortoleto has won the first Formula 3 feature race of the season. The Trident driver started from second place behind Gabriele Mini. However, the Italian did not have a good start and fell back to third place. Finally he moved up to second place after a battle with Grégoire Saucy. When the safety car came out after a Van Amersfoort car stalled, Mini got closer to Bortoleto again.
At the same time, however, Mini was told that he had a five-second time penalty. Something went wrong during the starting procedure and that was penalized by the race management. At the restart, however, Mini quickly recovered everything by taking over first place again. The driver from the Alpine academy tried to increase the gap to Bortoleto, but it was difficult. When the safety car came out in the last two laps after an incident by Tommy Smith, Mini’s dream was shattered. The driver eventually dropped back to P8. Oliver Goethe and Dino Beganovic eventually completed the top three.
F2: Dominante Boschung records first Formula 2 victory in blistering opening race
Ralph Boschung has won for the first time in Formula 2. The Swiss Campos Racing driver started from pole position and never relinquished the lead. Everything happened behind him, so that he remained dominant until the end of the sprint and opening race in Bahrain. It led to his first win in 96 games.
Red Bull Racing junior and MP Motorsport driver Dennis Hauger was second after passing Théo Pourchaire, Ayumu Iwasa and finally Victor Martins in the closing stages, who still took third. Richard Verschoor, driving for Van Amersfoort Racing, dropped out in the last laps of the race after falling outside the top ten earlier.
F3: Martà outwits Colapinto for first Formula 3 sprint win
Josep Maria Martà won the sprint race in Bahrain. The Spaniard managed to outwit Williams protégé Franco Colapinto on the fourteenth lap of the race and then rode somewhat comfortably to victory. It is the first (sprint) victory of the Campos driver in the entry class. Behind Martà and Colapinto, Van Amersfoort Racing driver Caio Collet finished third.
Most of the sprint race was run behind the safety car. For example, Rafael Villagómez retired after knocking himself out of Gabriel Bortoleto in the opening stages of the race. That resulted in a safety car phase, which was quickly followed by another neutralization. After the first restart, a few minor incidents happened in midfield all over the track.
F2: Dominant Pourchaire takes pole, Verschoor third
Theo Pourchaire has had an excellent start to the season. There was no size on the Frenchman from ART Grand Prix during Formula 2 qualifying. Pourchaire was no less than seven tenths faster than his stablemate Victor Martins with a 1:40.903. Richard Verschoor also got off to a strong start. Behind the ART duo, the driver, who will be racing for Van Amersfoort Racing this year, was third fastest.
F3: Alpine junior Mini takes pole in Formula 3 debut weekend
Gabriele Mini immediately took pole position for the main race in his debut weekend in Formula 3. The French Alpine junior from Hitech was too fast with a 1:47.055 Gabriel Bortoleto from Trident. Grégoire Saucy (ART) completes the top three. For Saturday’s feature race, Franco Colapinto will start from pole position. The MP Motorsport driver qualified twelfth, but the top twelve from the qualifying session will be reversed for the sprint race.
