Franco Colapinto took pole position for Sunday’s Formula 3 Feature Race with a lap time of 1:46.249 in the qualifying session at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), enabling his team, F3 newcomers Van Amersfoort Racing, to make the best possible start to their entry in the category.
Bahrain is hosting the FIA Formula 3 Championship for the first time, as part of the Formula One 2022 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
18-year-old Argentine Colapinto staved off a tough challenge from second-placed Czech driver, Roman Stanek, also 18, who finished just six-hundredths of a second off the leader’s pace. Indian star 21-year-old Kush Maini rounded off the top three with an impressive final lap.
Some of the hottest junior motor racing talent from around the world is taking part in the F3 championship. Sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), it features 30 identical cars from 10 world-class teams and is the official third rung on the F1 ladder, giving young drivers the chance to join their F1 heroes in the paddock at Grand Prix weekends. The championship also affords F1 and F2 teams an opportunity to recruit the talent on display.
