2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship
The 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship was a multi-event, Formula Regional open-wheel single seater motor racing championship. The championship featured a mix of professional and amateur drivers, competing in Formula Regional cars. It was the fifth season of the championship, and the first season under the Formula Regional moniker, after a rebrand happened due to the FIA ending the F3 category name.[1][2]
The season was held over five consecutive weekends in January and February 2022.
For the first time, the second race of a weekend was a reversed-grid race, reversing the top 10 finishers of race one.[3]
Arthur Leclerc won the drivers' championship with two races to spare, while his team, Mumbai Falcons India Racing, won the teams' championship. Pepe Martí, second overall, won the Rookie Cup, and Khaled Al Qubaisi earned Masters Cup honors.
Teams and drivers
- Esteban Masson was scheduled to compete for BlackArts Racing, but did not appear in any rounds.[29]
Race calendar and results
The first proposal for the race calendar was announced on 21 September 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic meant that most parts of Asia still were under heavy restrictions, the calendar only consisted of races in the United Arab Emirates for the second year in a row.[30]
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest Lap | Winning driver | Winning team | Rookie Winner | Supporting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | Yas Marina Circuit (Grand Prix Circuit) |
22 January |  Sebastián Montoya
|
 Hadrien David
|
Sebastián Montoya
|
 Mumbai Falcons India Racing
|
Sebastián Montoya
|
6 Hours of Abu Dhabi Gulf Radical Cup' |
| R2 | 23 January | Isack Hadjar
|
 Gabriel Bortoleto
|
 3Y by R-ace GP
|
Sebastián Montoya
| ||||
| R3 |  Gabriele Minì
|
 Pepe Martí
|
Gabriele Minì
|
 Hitech Grand Prix
|
Pepe Martí
| ||||
| 2 | R1 | Dubai Autodrome (International Circuit) |
29 January | Sebastián Montoya
|
Hadrien David
|
Hadrien David
|
3Y by R-ace GP
|
Pepe Martí
|
UAE Touring Car Championship |
| R2 | 30 January | Hadrien David
|
 Arthur Leclerc
|
Mumbai Falcons India Racing
|
Pepe Martí
| ||||
| R3 | Hadrien David
|
Pepe Martí
|
Hadrien David
|
3Y by R-ace GP
|
Pepe Martí
| ||||
| 3 | R1 | Dubai Autodrome (Grand Prix Circuit) |
5 February | Sebastián Montoya
|
Sebastián Montoya
|
Sebastián Montoya
|
Mumbai Falcons India Racing
|
Sebastián Montoya
|
Gulf Radical Cup UAE Touring Car Championship |
| R2 | 6 February |  Dino Beganovic
|
Dino Beganovic
|
Mumbai Falcons India Racing
|
Pepe Martí
| ||||
| R3 |  Dilano van 't Hoff
|
Sebastián Montoya
|
Arthur Leclerc
|
Mumbai Falcons India Racing
|
Pepe Martí
| ||||
| 4 | R1 | Dubai Autodrome (Grand Prix Circuit) |
12 February |  Paul Aron
|
Paul Aron
|
Isack Hadjar
|
Hitech Grand Prix
|
Pepe Martí
|
Asian Le Mans Series |
| R2 | 13 February |  Jak Crawford
|
 Patrik Pasma
|
 Evans GP
|
Oliver Bearman
| ||||
| R3 | Paul Aron
|
Dino Beganovic
|
Arthur Leclerc
|
Mumbai Falcons India Racing
|
Pepe Martí
| ||||
| 5 | R1 | Yas Marina Circuit (Grand Prix Circuit) |
19 February | Arthur Leclerc
|
Arthur Leclerc
|
Arthur Leclerc
|
Mumbai Falcons India Racing
|
Oliver Bearman
|
Asian Le Mans Series |
| R2 | Isack Hadjar
|
Gabriele Minì
|
Hitech Grand Prix
|
Pepe Martí
| |||||
| R3 | 20 February | Isack Hadjar
|
Gabriele Minì
|
Isack Hadjar
|
Hitech Grand Prix
|
Pepe Martí
| |||
Season report
The season started off at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, with Sebastian Montoya and Gabriele Mini sharing poles in qualifying. Montoya won the opening race, while multiple collisions behind him forced the race to end under the safety car. The second race was won by Gabriel Bortoleto, his maiden win in the FR category, remaining largely unchallenged as his biggest on-track rival, Isack Hadjar, retired halfway through the race. Race three saw a big crash at the start as Cem Bölükbaşı stalled on the grid and was hit by two other drivers, a collision heavy enough that the lengthy subsequent repairs on his car saw him withdraw from the championship. Gabriele Mini won the race, followed home by Jak Crawford and Hadjar. At the end of the first round, Mini led the standings by three points over Arthur Leclerc, with Montoya in third.[31]
As the championship headed into its three-round Dubai leg, Montoya took pole again, this time sharing the achievement with Hadrien David. The latter overtook the former on lap three of the first race and then led home in a race where championship leader Mini had to retire late on due to a mechanical failure. The reverse-grid race two not only gave Leclerc his first win of the season as he passed polesitter Pierre-Louis Chovet, he also took the points lead to which he held on until the very end. Hadrien David won again in the third race of the weekend, his last race of the season as the Frenchman left the championship following round two. Poor results meant Mini dropped out of the championship top three, while leader Leclerc was nine and twelve points clear respectively of French duo David and Hadjar.[32]
The circuit configuration was changed for the fourth round, but Montoya still prevailed in qualifying, accompanied by Dilano van 't Hoff. Montoya converted his race one pole into a win once again, heading a Mumbai Falcons 1-2-3 in a red-flagged race due to Francesco Braschi's engine blowing up halfway through. In race two, Dino Beganovic overtook four cars at the start and three more later to win from eighth place on the grid. Van 't Hoff wasn't able to hold on to his pole position, relinquishing the lead of the race to Pepe Martí, who was then overtaken for the win by Leclerc. The Monegasque now had a 35-point advantage over second-placed Martí, with Montoya in third, a further four points behind.[33]
The fourth round of the championship saw multiple changes in the driver lineup, as many drivers elected to only take part in three rounds to keep their rookie status for championships in the same category later in the year. Estonian driver Paul Aron took double pole for the third and last Dubai event, but it was Hadjar who took the first race win, after the pair battled all race long. Braschi started from reverse grid pole in race two, but was passed at the start by Patrik Pasma. Jak Crawford overtook Oliver Bearman, who made his debut in round 4, in the last corner of the last lap, finishing in second place by a tenth of a second. Leclerc once again extended his championship lead after taking race three victory from Aron, he was 40 points ahead of Martí and Hadjar heading into the last round.[34]
The championship returned to Abu Dhabi for its season finale, with Leclerc converting his race one pole into a dominant victory, claiming the drivers' championship in the process as Martí, the only other driver still in contention, had a horrible race and finished in 12th after dropping back to 23rd at one point. The penultimate race of the season was a chaotic one, with Mini taking a closely-fought win over Beganovic. Hadjar and Mini ended the championship with a Hitech 1-2 in the final race.[35]
At the end of the season, Leclerc had amassed a 60-point advantage over his closest rival, although the very competitive Montoya, David and Mini didn't enter all rounds. Martí was the biggest surprise of the season as came second and took a dominant rookie title. The 2022 season saw grids climb to record highs for the championship, culminating at 29 entries for the season finale. The addition of a reversed grid for the second race meant more overtakes, and even the Masters Cup was reintroduced and won by Khaled Al Qubaisi, after there were no masters' entries in 2021. Mumbai Falcons India Racing took their first teams' championship in their second season of competition, over 80 points ahead of second place.
Championship standings
Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top ten drivers.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Drivers' Championship
|
Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rookie Cup
| Pos | Driver | ABU1
|
DUB1
|
DUB2
|
DUB3
|
ABU2
|
Pts | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | |||
| 1 | Pepe Martí
|
Ret | Ret | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 298 |
| 2 | Dilano van 't Hoff
|
DNS | DNS | DNS | 7 | Ret | 24† | 7 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 167 |
| 3 | Sebastián Montoya
|
1 | 4 | 10 | 3 | Ret | 19 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 145 | ||||||
| 4 |  Levente Révész
|
13 | 9 | 12 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13 | Ret | 18 | 21 | 17 | 20 | 14 | 14 | 135 |
| 5 | Leonardo Fornaroli
|
8 | 5 | 22† | 11 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 26† | 9 | 104 | ||||||
| 6 | Hamda Al Qubaisi
|
12 | Ret | 14 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | Ret | 18 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 92 |
| 7 |  Joshua Dufek
|
9 | 6 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 27† | 10 | 89 | ||||||
| 8 | Francesco Braschi
|
Ret | 15 | 14 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 11 | 23 | 19 | 80 | ||||||
| 9 |  Ayato Iwasaki
|
15 | 11 | 15 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 25 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 23 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 80 |
| 10 | Frederick Lubin
|
7 | 8 | 21 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 79 | ||||||
| 11 | Oliver Bearman
|
7 | 3 | 24 | 6 | Ret | 23 | 73 | |||||||||
| 12 | David Morales
|
20† | 17† | Ret | 17 | 15 | Ret | 24 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 25 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 56 |
| 13 | Owen Tangavelou
|
20 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 13 | 48 | ||||||
| 14 | Sami Meguetounif
|
13 | 7 | 22 | 27 | ||||||||||||
| 15 |  Brice Morabito
|
18 | 12 | 17 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 16 | Vladislav Lomko
|
21 | 15 | 26 | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Pos | Driver | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
| ABU1
|
DUB1
|
DUB2
|
DUB3
|
ABU2
| |||||||||||||
Masters Cup
| Pos | Driver | ABU1
|
DUB1
|
DUB2
|
DUB3
|
ABU2
|
Pts | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | |||
| 1 | Khaled Al Qubaisi
|
16 | Ret | 19 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 22 | Ret | 287 |
| 2 |  Salih Yoluç
|
17 | Ret | Ret | 23 | 21 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 26† | 25 | 21 | 24 | 263 |
| 3 |  Thomas Luedi
|
19 | 13 | 20 | 24† | 22 | 22 | 26† | 24 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 257 |
| Pos | Driver | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
| ABU1
|
DUB1
|
DUB2
|
DUB3
|
ABU2
| |||||||||||||
Teams' Championship
Ahead of each event, the teams nominated two drivers that accumulate teams' points.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mumbai Falcons India Racing
|
348 |
| 2 | Hitech Grand Prix
|
264 |
| 3 |  Pinnacle Motorsport
|
209 |
| 4 | Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema
|
193 |
| 5 | 3Y by R-ace GP
|
128 |
| 6 | Evans GP
|
118 |
| 7 | BlackArts Racing
|
30 |
| 8 | Evans GP Academy
|
8 |
Notes
References
- ^ Wood, Ida (2 August 2021). "FIA brings end to F3 as a category, BRDC British F3 rebrands to GB3". Formula Scout. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ Wood, Ida (7 December 2021). "Confusion reigns as two series adopt FRegional Asia name for 2022". Formula Scout. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA Confirms 2022 Season – F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA". www.f3asia.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Evans GP on Instagram". Instagram. Evans GP. 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "Sami Meguetounif on Instagram". Instagram. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ GP, Evans (21 November 2021). "Evans GP signs Nicola Marinangeli for Asian F3". Evans GP | Official Web Site | Asian F3 Team. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ "Cem Bölükbaşı, Evans GP ile F3 Asya serisinde de yarışacak!". Twitter (in Turkish). Motorsport.com Türkiye. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Allen, Peter (14 November 2021). "Lubin named first Asian F3 signing for 2022 by Evans GP". Formula Scout. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Abu Dhabi Racing enters Paul Aron in 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship". Prema Powerteam. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Jak Crawford To Race With PREMA In 2022 FIA F3 Season". Prema Powerteam. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022.
- ^ a b Wood, Ida (4 January 2022). "Amna and Khaled Al Qubaisi join Hamda at Prema in FRAC". Formula Scout. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Wood, Ida (17 December 2021). "Al Qubaisi and Marinangeli join renamed FRegional Asian Championship". Formula Scout. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Hitech confirm 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship driver line-up". Hitech Grand Prix. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ Wood, Ida (14 January 2022). "Isack Hadjar confirmed as Red Bull junior and Hitech F3 driver". Formula Scout. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Vladislav Lomko on Instagram". Instagram. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ a b Wood, Ida (3 January 2022). "BlackArts Racing names first two drivers for 2022 FRAC". Formula Scout. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "Championship Announces 28-Strong Entry for Yas Marina 2022 Season-Opener". f3asia.com. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Wood, Ida (27 January 2022). "FRAC runner-up Pierre-Louis Chovet handed series return by BlackArts". Formula Scout. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d Mishra, Aatish (8 January 2022). "Mumbai Falcons announce 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship driver line up". Evo India. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ GP, Evans (21 November 2021). "Evans GP signs Levente Révész for Asian F3". Evans GP | Official Web Site | Asian F3 Team. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Evans, Joshua (26 November 2021). "David Morales joins the Asian F3 Championship with Evans GP". Evans GP | Official Web Site | Asian F3 Team. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Wood, Ida (14 October 2021). "R-ace GP partners with 3Y Technology for Asian F3 and F4 UAE". Formula Scout. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ a b Wood, Ida (7 January 2022). "R-ace GP signs Bortoleto for FREC, Buhler for FRAC". Formula Scout. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ Wood, Ida (5 January 2022). "Lorenzo Fluxa moves to R-ace GP for sophomore FRAC campaign". Formula Scout. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Teams & Drivers confirm for season 2022 (Updated on 06/01/2022)". Formula Regional Asian Championship. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Wood, Ida (28 December 2021). "Gabriel Bortoleto joins R-ace GP in FRegional Asian Championship". Formula Scout. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "Braschi con 3Y R-Ace GP per il finale di stagione". italiaracing.net (in Italian). 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d Wood, Ida (11 January 2022). "Le Mans winner and F4 stars make Pinnacle Motorsport's FRAC line-up". Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ Satis, Jérémy (8 February 2022). "Jérémy Satis on Twitter". Twitter (in French). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "F3 Asian Championship Announces 2022 Season Calendar". F3 Asian Championship. 22 October 2021. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Gabriele Minì Leads Formula Regional Asian Championship After Thrilling Yas Marina Season-opener". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Victory and Championship Lead for Arthur Leclerc in Dubai". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Arthur Leclerc Tightens Grip on Championship as Mumbai Falcons Celebrate Triple Victories". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Third Victory for Arthur Leclerc and Wins for Isack Hadjar and Patrik Pasma in Dubai". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "King Arthur Reigns as Leclerc wins Formula Regional Asian Championship". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
External links
FIA Formula Regional (Regional Formula 3) | |||||||||||||||||
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