MOTORSPORT – Formula 1’s chief feeder series are set to hit the track today at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) to kick off three days of in-season testing in Sakhir.
The FIA Formula 2 Championship and FIA Formula 3 Championship will both be running their 2025 contenders to gather valuable data early on in their respective seasons.
Taking place behind closed doors, the in-season tests are being held between the first and second rounds of the F2 and F3 2025 calendars. The two campaigns flagged off in Melbourne, Australia earlier this month, and both are set to headline the support race programme in the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025, taking place April 11 to 13 at BIC. It will mark the second round of their seasons in the kingdom.
The tests will take place from morning to night with two separate sessions for each series until Friday, making for running in both daylight conditions and at night under lights.
F3 will be first on track from 9.30am to 12noon and then again from 3.15pm to 5.45pm. F2’s running will be from 12.30pm to 3pm and then from 6.30pm to 9pm.
F2 is currently in its ninth season and it has produced ready-made talent for F1. In recent years, current F1 stars who have made the step up from F2 are Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Alexander Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, Oscar Piastri, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, and Gabriel Bortoleto.
For F3, the 2025 season is the start of a brand-new era, with the latest Dallara-built car. It is more closely in line with both F2 and F1 in terms of safety, systems, and performance. On top of that, the new car runs on Aramco’s advanced fuel, which is being developed to the FIA’s 100 per cent sustainable fuel standard.
F2 and F3 will have two races apiece over the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025, with their Sprint Races set for the Saturday and the Feature Races on the Sunday. The support series programme also features the Bahrain-based Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East.
Joshua Duerksen of AIX Racing took the victory in the Sprint Race in Melbourne, where the Feature Race was cancelled due to inclement weather. Duerksen will be back in the car during the Bahrain tests along with teammate Cian Shields for AIX.
F2’s 10 other teams will also have two drivers each at BIC. They include Leonardo Fornaroli and Roman Stanek of Invicta Racing, Josep Maria Marti and Arvid Lindblad of Campos Racing, Oliver Goethe and Richard Verschoor of MP Motorsport, Luke Browning and Dino Beganovic of Hitech TGR, Sebastian Montoya and Gabriele Mini of Prema Racing, Jak Crawford and Kush Maini of DAMS Lucas Oil, Victor Martins and Ritomo Miyata of ART Grand Prix, Amaury Cordeel and Alexander Dunne of Rodin Motorsport, Sami Meguetounif and Max Esterson of Trident, and John Bennet and Rafael Villagomez of Van Amersfoort Racing.
In F3, Van Amersfoort’s Santiago Ramos claimed the chequered flag in the Sprint Race in the season-opener, while Rafael Camara of Trident won the Feature.
Ramos is one of three cars for his side in the 30-car field that will be testing in Bahrain. He is joined by teammates Theophile Nael and Ivan Domingues.
Others in the field are Brando Badoer, Noel Leon, and Ugo Ugochukwu of Prema; Noah Stromsted, Rafael Camara, and Charlie Wurz of Trident; Laurens van Hoepen, Tuukka Taponen, and James Wharton of ART; Mari Boya, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, and Nikola Tsolov of Campos; Martinius Stenshorne, Joshua Dufek, and Gerrard Xie of Hitech; Tim Tramnitz, Bruno del Pino, and Alessandro Giusti of MP; Callum Voisin, Louis Sharp, and Roman Bilinski of Rodin; Javier Safrera, Nicola Marinangeli, and Freddie Slater for AIX; and Nicola Lacorte, Matias Zagazeta, and Christian Ho for DAMS.
Pirelli will also be allocating eight sets of the Hard tyre to each car for the duration of the test, plus three sets of wet tyres should they be required.
In preparation for the start of in-season testing, the drivers were joined by team members in customary track walks yesterday at BIC.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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